Authority to provide £10.9m for completion of railway line

NORTH East leaders have agreed to provide the final share of cash to cover a £37.9 million funding shortfall for the Northumberland Line railway.

- By JAMES ROBINSON

The North East Combined Authority will put forward £10.9 million to complete the Northumberland Park station in North Tyneside.

Costs have risen due to issues with unmapped mine workings which have to be filled in for safety reasons.

The remainder of the shortfall will be covered by central Government (£17 million) and Northumberland County Council (£10 million).

The railway will provide a passenger rail link between south east Northumberland and Tyneside for the first time since the 1960s.

The Northumberland Park station will also give North Tyneside residents access to the national rail network via Newcastle Central Station for the first time.

Northumberland Park is also a key connector to the Tyne and Wear Metro system.

Speaking at Tuesday's meeting of the combined authority's cabinet, Mayor Kim McGuinness said the line had already been a huge success.

She said: "There have already been over half a million passenger journeys on the Northumberland Line. It's absolutely brilliant to see.

"It is incredibly valuable for Northumberland and North Tyneside, and for people across the region. We couldn't leave it half done as a ghost station.