Full steam ahead for rail project

Several trains have been restored for the Weardale line

A project to bring steam trains back to Weardale is on target to receive 30,000 passengers by the end of the year.

The Weardale Railway opened on 17 July and 2,500 people boarded the trains in the first week.

The line was built in 1847 as an extension to the Stockton and Darlington Railway.

The railway will run a summer service along the Dale, four trains daily each way, until the end of October, with special events planned for the winter.

The project has involved restoring more than five miles of track, which had been unused for 10 years, reconstructing three stations and building a new engineering base and running shed.

The £5m initiative has won funding from a number of sources, including the Heritage Lottery Fund and the European Regional Development Fund.

Chairman of the Weardale Railway Trust Steve Raine said the team of workers had put in 12 to 14-hour days to make sure the work was completed in time.

In 2005, it is hoped the line will be extended to Eastgate and in 2006 to Bishop Auckland. The aim is for the railway to be carrying 90,000 passengers in four to five years time.