All go at Horden as trains make first stops at new £10.55 million station

Services are now calling at Horden after the East Durham village was added to the line which takes services between Newcastle and Middlesbrough.

The South East View station, which has around 100 car parking spaces, has been built by a partnership between Durham County Council, Network Rail, Northern and Story Contracting and funded by the council, which has said it will bring an economic boost to the area through business passengers and visitors.

An additional £4.4 million was pledged from the Department of Transport’s New Stations Fund and a grant from the North East Local Enterprise Partnership.

It is expected to welcome more than 70,000 passengers each year, once social distancing measures are lifted.

Due to the coronavirus pandemic, the official opening event for the station has been postponed and will take place when it is safe for it to do so, with its construction team slowed as they worked using new safety measures after the pandemic developed.

Kieran Dunkin, principal programme sponsor for Network Rail, said: “We’re absolutely delighted that Horden station is now open for passengers.

“The station is vital to help support the communities and economies which our railway serves and will provide improved connections across the region, opening up both leisure and employment opportunities.

“This has been a great example of partnership working and we look forward to passengers reaping the benefits of this much-needed project.”

Jason Butterworth, CEO of Story Contracting, said: “Despite the challenges faced during Covid-19 towards the final months of the project, the Horden team were able to adapt and quickly implement numerous additional health and safety measures to continue the work safely.

"The new station looks fantastic and comes as a result of working in partnership with all involved to provide improved connections where there were no immediate rail links before.”

The council has said passengers using the station should bear in mind the Government guidance to consider all other forms of transport before public transport, as well as the requirement to wear a mask while travelling.

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