(30 Jan 2024, 3:48 pm)Storx wrote It's not about the line itself though, it's about moving traffic off the East Coast Mainline to open new paths on there, you could even open paths for a local service on there so the likes of Chester Le Street, Saltwell, Birtley, Newton Hall etc. had a rail service which is more than the fields around South Hylton.
For the Leamside Line itself, there's much more to the South of there aswell, such as Houghton Le Spring, Penshaw, Shiney Row etc which is being ignored.
If you were really clever, you could also use the railway line as a catalyst for new development. We're desperate for new housing, if you built a station where that Rainton Meadows is then you could use those fields for new housing, they already have excellent road links being near the A1(M) and A690. Now you just need the transport side and it's sorted. It's a change from the usual where we build houses and then try to force some buses through.
Also, if you were really innovative, you could create a new Sunderland Parkway station, extend the green line from Sunderland through to there and get some intercity trains stopping, ie one Cross Country and maybe a TPE service so people travelling to Sunderland have intercity trains without doubling back via Newcastle.
There's so much more to the Leamside Line than the dead curve from Washington to Sunderland. Metro trains should be no-where near clogging those tracks up, going 50 mph - the only sensible more would be a short spur from Pelaw to Follingsby Park and extend the Pelaw peaks through (or run them all day).
I agree with any reopening and cohesive plan between local and national government, developers and investors. Problem is there is no cohesive thinking, local politics is all about infighting and corruption. National politics much the same but with added ignorance of the North East.
In theory there is another way of getting to Durham, via Wardley and Washington South, Hence houses and off the Leamside to Brasside and Newton Hall. How the metro would get to Durham Station is another matter.
The other major issue is the Leamside would need massive re-engineering to be a real alternative, that means full electrification and 125mph linespeed.
And even if that were possible, the bottleneck is still Darlington. You can't rebuild Northallerton to Ferryhill without monumental cost. Yarm viaduct is unlikely to be able to electrified without structural problems.
If there were any serious commitment a completely new line needs building, then downgrade the ECML, would work out cheaper.
Realistically very little is going to happen heavy rail wise up here. A new Government will be so hamstrung by the mess the Toriea have caused that one term will pass without anything good happening......