Tanfield Railway on track enhance its infrastructure

THE Tanfield Railway (TR) is benefitting from the support of two sources to upgrade and maintain its civil engineering.

The County Durham heritage line has received more than 20 tons of redundant trackwork from local passenger transport authority Nexus. A raft of surplus material including sleepers and points was kindly made available after the £70 million project to replace at Gosforth Metro depot got underway.

Civil engineering firm Volker-Fitzpatrick is rebuilding the Metro depot, which will provide a modern home for the new train fleet being manufactured by Stadler, due to enter traffic on the light rail rapid transit system in 2023.

Preservation

TR general manager David Watchman said: “The new Metro fleet is an exciting project for the future of transport in the region. It's great to see that it's also helping to preserve some of the north east's unique heritage. We are grateful to Nexus, Stadler and Volker for this donation, alongside contractor Trackwork, which arranged the delivery.

“Equipment like this is often very hard to obtain new, and, of course, re-using it in this way is much better for the environment. Our volunteers are looking forward to putting it to good use for many more years to come. The donated equipment will be essential to ensure we can continue to operate the railway in the future.”

Meanwhile, part of the TR's £245,500 grant from the Government's Culture Recovery Fund – intended to help weather the storm of coronavirus and come back stronger – is being used to enhance some of the line's public outdoor space. Tarmac road surfaces have been laid on the main visitor access routes to Marley Hill sheds and Andrews House station.