Full steam ahead for heritage railway restoration

Improvements are being made to the Weardale Railway line and Bishop Auckland West station

Work to restore a heritage railway attraction has begun after it received £900,000 in funding.

The restoration of Bishop Auckland West station and the Weardale Railway is being carried out in order to allow it to expand.

Weardale Railway was bought by The Auckland Project in March 2020 and the organisation has been working to bring the line back into use.

Edward Perry, chief executive, said the heritage line provided a "huge opportunity for the cultural and economic regeneration of the town".

"We hope this development will bring more visitors to the southern end of the high street and that people holidaying in the region will find Bishop Auckland much easier to access," he said.

The infrastructure project, known as the Durham Dales Gateway Development, has gone ahead after receiving £900,000 through the Conservative government's Strong Towns Fund initiative.

As part of the work, new infrastructure including improved car park facilities will be built at the station, according to the Local Democracy Reporting Service.

Demolition of the site’s Escomb Road annex building was completed in June and works for the new development are expected to be finished by the end of the year. 

The annex had stood derelict for seven years and was previously used by Bishop Auckland Hospital.