Rail line restoration granted £255k to fix bridge

An agreement has now been reached to fix the Eden Hill Bridge

More than £250,000 has been secured to fix a bridge in a move to restore a former railway track.

The campaign by the Aln Valley Railway Trust to restore the line between Alnmouth and Alnwick, in Northumberland, hit a stumbling block after the owner of the Eden Hill Bridge resisted laying tracks past the structure due to maintenance obligations and costs.

Now Northumberland County Council has agreed to adopt the bridge from owner Historic Railways.

The council said the expansion would bring "wider economic growth, tourism and leisure benefits" to Alnwick.

The line originally closed in 1968 due to financial reasons.

Alnmouth station is on the East Coast Mainline and there is an hourly bus service running to Alnwick.

The track currently runs a short distance from the purpose-built Lionheart Station to Greenrigg Bridge.

Historic Railways was resistant to laying railway track beyond the bridge

Bringing the bridge up to adoptable standards is expected to cost about £255,000, with work needed to install a waterproof deck to prevent water ingress as well as re-pointing and repair work to the arch.

Historic Railways, which is part of the Department for Transport, has agreed to contribute £130,000 to the project and the local authority will provide £125,000, according to the Local Democracy Reporting Service.

The county council said the project would bring "wider economic growth, tourism and leisure benefits" to Alnwick.

The last section of the railway track which has yet to be reopened