Paul Howell, Member of Parliament for Sedgefield, welcomed the news that the Government is continuing to progress and take forward proposals to reopen Ferryhill Railway station in his constituency.
A Strategic Outline Business Case was presented to the Department for Transport last year with the backing of Paul Howell MP and it was announced this week it was being reopened as part of a group of projects across the country that would be taken forward to the next stage of development.
Paul Howell MP said: “If we could reopen the railway station, we could utilise the existing railway track to new passenger services which would connect Ferryhill directly to the economic opportunities on Teesside. The track is currently used for freight and it would not involve significantly extra work to place a new station in the town.
“I spent a large part of my childhood in Ferryhill, and with a current population of 10,000 people, I know that the town could really flourish with an improved transport link. In the wider area, approximately 50,000 residents live within 5km. This is such an exciting moment, given that thousands of jobs are now being linked to Teesside with the new Freeport and other exciting initiatives. It was my pleasure to bring the Prime Minister to visit the site after my election to Parliament and I know how much potential he saw here.”
Paul has been working closely with Durham County Council (DCC) on proposals to reopen the station and develop the Feasibility Studies and Business Case necessary to utilise the site. Paul added: “I would like to thank the officers at DCC for all their work so far and also to thank the very many others who have joined me on this campaign.”
