Long awaited reopening of Leamside line to reconnect Washington to national rail network moves step closer

As well as being used by the Tyne & Wear Metro network, the reopening of the line would enable Washington to reconnect with the wider rail network.

In June this year (2025) the North East mayor Kim McGuinness announced a funding deal with the Government including £900m to extend the Metro line to include Washington.

A key part of extending the line, as well as connecting Tyne & Wear with County Durham and the East Coast mainline, is reopening the 21 mile stretch of currently disused railway line.

The Metro extension would use the northern section of the Leamside Line and would mark the first extension of the system in over 30 years. This section has already had a feasibility study undertaken by Arup, with attention now turning to the southern stretch of the line.

The North East Combined Authority (NECA) has today confirmed AECOM will complete a new assessment that will look at the feasibility and benefits of reopening this section of the line. It will include detailed technical work on a new investment corridor which will identify growth opportunities for jobs and housing along a reopened line.

NECA Director of Transport, Tobyn Hughes, said: “Reopening the Leamside Line is essential not just for the North East but the whole country.

“It will transform transport connections for many local communities, as well as hugely expanding rail capacity on the adjacent and congested East Coast Main Line.

“We welcome the appointment of AECOM to two commissions. The first of these is already underway and considers the technical aspects of reopening this strategically located route.

“A second commission will now look at the role the railway will play in unlocking new jobs and housing by developing a comprehensive high level Economic Growth Strategy and Spatial Plan for the Leamside Investment Corridor.

“The Leamside Line is hugely important for the future of North East England and transformative for transport in our region and beyond.

“We have already started detailed work on the first phase of the project - extending the Metro to Washington along the northern section of the Leamside Line, a project that Mayor Kim McGuinness has committed to funding.”

The East Coast Main Line, the main national rail artery between London, Newcastle and Edinburgh, currently only has the capacity for six passenger services per hour through the North East.

The Leamside Line would allow slow moving freight and local passenger services to be diverted away from the East Coast Main Line, “unlocking major growth potential to the benefit of the whole country”.

The reopening of the Leamside Line would allow local rail services to be introduced through the heart of County Durham, with “new stations stimulating the construction of thousands of new homes and providing sustainable connections to towns with poor public transport links”.

Richard Whitehead, Chief Executive, Europe and India, AECOM, said: “AECOM is proud to be appointed to this critical project for the North East, which will not only free up capacity on the East Coast Main Line to boost connectivity, but also unlock significant economic and employment opportunities for local communities.

“The feasibility study, economic growth strategy and spatial growth plan represent important steps that will shape the scheme’s development and help ensure the project delivers maximum benefits for the region.

“Following AECOM’s role on the Northumberland Line, which saw the successful reopening of another former rail line in the region late last year, we are delighted to support this project through our deep bench of skills and the expertise of our local teams.”