Leamside railway line: Calls to reopen service in full

MP Sharon Hodgson claimed Washington is the largest English town without a rail link

A petition has been launched calling for a mothballed railway line to be reopened.

The 21-mile long Leamside railway line runs between Pelaw in Gateshead and Tursdale in County Durham.

Passenger services were effectively withdrawn in 1963, with the final closure in 1964.

Washington and Sunderland West Labour MP Sharon Hodgson, who started the petition, said reopening the railway line "would bring massive benefits".

"It would connect up the whole of the Metro network and connect up Washington with Sunderland, Newcastle, Gateshead and Durham," she added.

The line ran through Washington, Penshaw, Fencehouses, Rainton, Belmont and Shincliffe before re-joining with the main line at Ferryhill.

Washington, which has a population of about 67,000 people, has been left without a direct railway link, Ms Hodgson said.

She told BBC Radio Newcastle reopening the line would bring social and economic gains to the community.

A reopened Leamside Line would also ease the strain on the East Coast Main Line

A fully reinstated Leamside Line would be connected with an existing cargo route through Teesside called the Stillington Line.

It would create a continuous four-track railway route between York and Newcastle, while diverting slow moving cargo trains away from the East Coast Main Line.

According to Transport North East, it would increase the capacity of the East Coast Main Line by 50% and make journeys more reliable.

North East Joint Transport Committee chair, councillor Martin Gannon, said reopening the Leamside Line was one of their top priorities.

"We recently spoke with MPs on this issue and we continue to work closely with the business community to ensure our collective voice is heard by government," he said.