Construction of a new station at Horden, near Peterlee, County Durham, has commenced and should be complete by Spring 2020.
The £10.55 million project, which will link the area into the local, regional and national rail network and support wider regeneration in the area.
Funded by Durham County Council, aided by £4.4 million from the Department for Transport’s New Stations Fund and a grant from the North East Local Enterprise Partnership LEP, the new station is expected to bring an economic boost to east Durham.
It will feature two 100-metre platforms, with shelters connected by an accessible footbridge, as well as a 139-space car park and bus stops. The development also includes a new road, footpath and cycleway.
The original station in Hordern, on the Durham Coast line between Sunderland and Hartlepool, was closed in 1964 as part of the ‘Beeching cuts’. However, Durham County Council has wanted to reopen the station for some time as it is close to Peterlee and other towns in the south east of the county.
The new station, a little to the north of the old site, is at South East View in Horden. When it opens in Spring 2020, it will be served by one train an hour in each direction – north to Newcastle and south to Middlesbrough.
Northern Railway’s regional director for the North East, Anna Weeks, said: “We are really excited by this great opportunity on our Durham Coast route and are grateful to Durham County Council for their commitment in delivering this.
“The opening of Horden station will help connect the local community to Middlesbrough and Newcastle as well as our coastal destinations of Whitby and Saltburn and further afield to the National Rail Network. Along with our train modernisation programme, with the removal of the pacer units in 2019 and introduction of digital trains on the line, it’s an exciting time for train users in the region.”
Commenting on the start of construction, Cllr Simon Henig, Leader of Durham County Council, said: “I am very pleased to see the start of work on a development which will bring much improved transport links for residents in the east of the county.
“The development will open up employment opportunities for local people while at the same time providing a direct connection to our coastline for visitors travelling from further afield.”
Durham County Council has been working closely with Network Rail and Northern Railway on the project, which is being funded by the authority, with ?4.4 million from the Department for Transport’s New Stations Fund and a grant from the North East Local Enterprise Partnership LEP.