Chamber pushes business case to reopen Sunderland's Leamside Line with Minister

Businesses have pushed the case for reopening the Leamside Line with the Government.

At a meeting in London with UK rail minister Huw Merriman and North East MPs, the North East England Chamber of Commerce highlighted the economic benefits of reopening the railway route for the region at the All-Party Parliamentary Group (APPG).

The Minister spoke about the need to highlight the voice of businesses, as well as the benefits of the Leamside Line, and how it can improve resilience along the East Coast Main Line. 

Chair of the Chamber's transport forum, Kevin Bell, emphasised how important the Leamside Line could be to the North East’s economy, and Transport North East’s managing director Tobyn Hughes gave an update on the business case development for the Washington Metro loop.

Marianne O’Sullivan, policy manager at the Chamber, said: "The case for the Leamside Line has been strengthened by having cross-party support in the North East.

"It was incredibly useful to hear directly from the minister, and for the region’s businesses to be able to put their case forward for the line.  

"It’s vital that this essential piece of infrastructure is delivered, it would bring huge economic benefits to the North East. We will continue to work with our members to advocate for the reopening of the Leamside Line."

The disused railway line, which runs from Pelaw in Gateshead to Tursdale in County Durham, closed in 1964. 

Campaigners say new jobs and housing could be stimulated by reopening the 21-mile route linking Gateshead to County Durham via South Tyneside and Sunderland, while the Metro could be extended to Washington.

The APPG plans to work with the minister on the case for the Leamside Line, and the Chamber will continue to liaise with members as part of the campaign to reopen the line.

Ministers sparked fury earlier this month, when they seemingly abandoned plans to reopen the line within 24 hours.

A restoration of the line was included in initial announcements about the ‘Network North’ programme as Prime Minister Rishi Sunak pledged to invest in hundreds of transport projects using £36billion saved by scrapping the northern leg of HS2.

But, just a day later, all reference to reopening theine has been removed from the Network North website.