
A new economic strategy could help unlock housing, jobs and industrial growth in County Durham by capitalising on the potential re-opening of a rail line, a regeneration boss has said.
North East mayor Kim McGuinness is set to consider a report on the Leamside Investment Corridor next week.
The route includes the 21-mile mothballed Leamside Line, which runs from Pelaw, in Gateshead, to Ferryhill, in County Durham, where it connects with the East Coast Main Line.
The route was closed to passenger services in the 1960s under Beeching cuts.
Re-opening the line has been an ambition of North East leaders for decades, with mayor McGuinness committing £8 million to create a business case to bring the northern section of the line back into use as part of proposals to extend the Tyne and Wear Metro to Washington.
She will consider a report on the proposed Leamside Investment Corridor alongside North East Combined Authority cabinet members next week.