Will the Leamside Line Ever Reopen

[6892 Oakhill Grange]

https://www.thenorthernecho.co.uk/news/23367169.labour-steals-march-local-tories-committing-leamside-line/

 

The Leamside line seems to be a popular subject in Country Durham but I have never been sure if anyone knows what it would be useful for.  It could offer a local service for communities in central Durham.  It could offer a faster regional service from Middlesbrough to Newcastle offering agglomeration benefits for the region.  It could offer a faster freight route and additional capacity from the south to Tyne Dock.  It could offer a useful diversionary route for ECML and possibly an extra route for LDHS passenger services from the south to Newcastle.  It could allow Washington to be connected to the Metro.  Have I covered all options?  It even offers fantastic opportunities for politicians to claim votes.  One thing I am clear about is that the Leamside line cannot offer all of the above.

 

Any thoughts

 

Oakhill

 

 

[ess1uk]

Metro is most likely 

[Guest]

I think the problem is that too many want to use it for too many things:

- Nexus want to create the South Wearside Metro loop to/from Sunderland via Washington 

- freight companies want to use it (with the Stillington line) to avoid the congested Newcastle-Northallerton section

- LNER no doubt want to move the Pesky Little Trains that get in the way of their Very Important Trains

Sunderland wants a more direct/quicker service to/from the south

 

It can’t do everything! With upcoming devolution, I’m not sure if any of the mayoral candidates have added it to their manifesto yet, but it’s only a matter of time.

 

I am in favour of reopening - it should never have been closed - but a consensus is needed on what its primary use is. At a push, as with the Durham Coast line, a few Metros could share with a limited heavy rail service and a couple of freight paths, but I fear its capacity has been used up several times by all the different proposals.

[TinTracks]

https://www.sunderlandecho.com/news/transport/the-great-train-track-robbery-of-penshaw-how-a-gang-spent-days-stealing-train-tracks-in-broad-daylight-before-they-were-caught-3124670

 

Twenty years ago an enterprising gang of scallywags tried to pinch it! 🤣

 Regards, Rich

[Waveydavey]

It wouldn’t be much use for freight trains to/from Tyne Dock as the connection at Pelaw points in the wrong direction, towards Gateshead rather than Sunderland.

With most freight growth being in container traffic the over bridges on the Leamside might be an issue as they already are at Yarm and through the Stillington branch.

[Trestrol]

I don't think the connection at the Pelaw end would be a problem. Building a new chord would be in order and as much of the land needed is scrub/farmland so no buildings in the way. A new chord would need to be construed anyway at South Hylton for the Metro to access Victoria viaduct. The line really doesn't work for Metro around Washington as it goes in the wrong place. It needs to go through the Galleries really to be of use. 

[phil-b259]

8 minutes ago, Trestrol said:

I don't think the connection at the Pelaw end would be a problem. Building a new chord would be in order and as much of the land needed is scrub/farmland so no buildings in the way. A new chord would need to be construed anyway at South Hylton for the Metro to access Victoria viaduct. The line really doesn't work for Metro around Washington as it goes in the wrong place. It needs to go through the Galleries really to be of use. 

 

Indeed!

 

I fear this is another case of some well meaning local authority seeing a disused railway and latching onto that as a cheap way of improving transport without considering (1) why it was closed and (2) whether modern travel patterns are in sync with it.

 

As Washington lies wholly to the West of the old railway and has its commercial hub at its centre running metro up the old alignment to Pelaw is stupid and will do hardly anything to help relieve traffic congestion / reduce car use in Washington which is well served by dual carriageways.

 

Instead any metro extension from south Hylton would be better routed alongside the A182 or A1231 and ideally continue on to run through the Team valley / Low fell areas before linking up with the current metro at a new junction under Gateshead. I accept this is expensive and is beyond what the local authorities in the area to be able to fund themselves - but thats where the Westminster Government should be coming in to help!

[Guest]

4 minutes ago, Waveydavey said:

It wouldn’t be much use for freight trains to/from Tyne Dock as the connection at Pelaw points in the wrong direction, towards Gateshead rather than Sunderland.

With most freight growth being in container traffic the over bridges on the Leamside might be an issue as they already are at Yarm and through the Stillington branch.

While Leamside won’t be accessible from the Tyne Dock branch (and vv), there is now the curve at Brockley Whins which creates a south-facing access to Tyne Dock. 

 

While accepting the constraints on the Stillington line, and through Yarm, the route has often been identified as an opportunity to move freight off the main line, similar to the investment on the line through Lincoln which culminated in the Werrington dive under.

[Guest]

4 minutes ago, phil-b259 said:

 

Indeed!

 

I fear this is another case of some well meaning local authority seeing a disused railway and latching onto that as a cheap way of improving transport without considering (1) why it was closed and (2) whether modern travel patterns are in sync with it.

 

As Washington lies wholly to the West of the old railway and has its commercial hub at its centre running metro up the old alignment to Pelaw is stupid and will do hardly anything to help relieve traffic congestion / reduce car use in Washington which is well served by dual carriageways.

 

Instead any metro extension from south Hylton would be better routed alongside the A182 or A1231 and ideally continue on to run through the Team valley / Low fell areas before linking up with the current metro at a new junction under Gateshead. I accept this is expensive and is beyond what the local authorities in the area to be able to fund themselves - but thats where the Westminster Government should be coming in to help!

My understanding was that Team Valley improvements are dependent on reopening the Bensham curve. That might lead to tram train services up to Consett via Chester le Street. 

 

Devolution will bring Durham CC into the North East authority and that opens out new possibilities and opportunities in strategic growth.

 

Transport North East have already published their plans for the South Wearside loop via South Hylton - even using existing alignments is not far short of £1bn. That is based on a strategic business case and will necessarily be robust as it follows onerous Treasury/DfT guidance in terms of passenger demand modelling. 

 

Investment will be more likely when national needs require investment through further development of Northern Powerhouse Rail. At one point, I seem to recall there was a fairly recent NPR proposal for a tunnel through/around Durham to create a faster ECML alignment. Don’t think THAT is on the cards any more!