Rachel Reeves; North East is ‘crying out’ for investment
The possibility of a fully renovated and realised Leamside Line stretching down to Ferryhill in County Durham is still unknown, just weeks after a £900m Washington Tyne and Wear Metro extension was given the green light.
The extension should open by 2033, after Labour committed to the “biggest ever investment” in the North’s transport infrastructure – but Rachel Reeves has acknowledged there is still more to do when it comes to the region’s transport.
Rachel Reeves in Gateshead. (Image: Kirsty O’Connor / Treasury) Speaking at the Glasshouse International Centre for Music in Gateshead today (June 16) Rachel Reeves announced a £1bn backed government investment targeting bridges, tunnels and roads.
Part of the cash will be used to finish restoration work at the Tyne Bridge in Newcastle and £590 million will be used to take forward the Lower Thames Crossing in Essex with further details on other projects to be announced in the near future.
When asked about the possibility of renewing the Leamside Line, Ms Reeves told The Northern Echo: “We’re going to make more announcements in the weeks and months ahead.”
She added: “But I was really pleased in the spending review to be able to announce a £1.8bn settlement for Kim McGuinness [North East mayor] including the extension of the Tyne and Wear Metro to Washington.
“I spoke to Sharon Hodgson [Labour MP for Washington and Gateshead South] after the announcement, and she said she had been campaigning for it for 20 years, and she couldn’t believe that finally, her dreams have come true.
“This the government that are delivering for the people of Sunderland and Washington, and across the North East. And today, we are making an announcement showing money is also set aside for the completion of work at the Tyne Bridge.
“I recognise that there are other projects in the North East that have been crying out for investment for years and the last 14 years under the Conservative government the region was badly let down.
What a fully realised Leamside Line could look like if re-opened in full. “I hope people can see that in the first multi-year spending review of this government with me as Chancellor, a substantial amount of money is coming to the North East for transport, free school meals and a whole range of projects.”
The Leamside Line, should it re-open in full, would provide rail links for over 100,000 people.
It was last used by passengers in the 1960s before it was scrapped in the early 1990s.
But, politicians have been campaigning for years to pressure successive governments into backing a reopening of the Leamside Line, which runs from Pelaw in Gateshead to Ferryhill in County Durham.
According to latest figures, bringing the full line back to life could cost well over £1 billion.