Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what estimate his Department has made of the length of time it would take to (a) reopen the Leamside Line and (b) open a Leamside South line.

The Department received a bid to reinstate the Leamside Line (South of Tyne and Wearside) in the first round of the Restoring Your Railway Ideas Fund. The bid was not successful at that stage and feedback was provided on how it could be improved.

A further round of the Restoring Your Railway Ideas Fund will open shortly and we expect to receive a stronger revised bid at that point.

At this stage it is solely for the promoters of any bid to determine its scope.