Leamside Line: Government accused of lying to the North East

Local MPs and Councillors in the North East have accused the government of lying and criticised them for the abandonment of the Leamside Line project.

The Government reneged on its commitment to reopen the Leamside railway line, just 24 hours after making the announcement.

The revival of the dormant railway line, which runs from Pelaw in Gateshead to Tursdale in County Durham, was part of the initial announcements concerning the ‘Network North’ initiative disclosed by Rishi Sunak last Wednesday.

Bridget Phillipson, Labour MP for Houghton and Sunderland South said: “This staggering Tory fiasco has seen costs soar, and the North has been left to pay the price. Only after thirteen years of dismal failure could the Conservatives make the centerpiece of their conference a re-announcement of promises the Conservatives have made before.

“Is there anything more emblematic of thirteen years of dismal failure by this broken government than their flagship leveling-up project that fails to even reach the North?
“What started as a modern infrastructure plan left by the last Labour government has, after thirteen years of incompetence, waste, and broken promises become a colossal symbol of Conservative failure.” The Labour MP said the difference between the parties is that the Conservatives talk a big game but have allowed schools to fall into disrepair, but Labour has a long-term plan to drive high and rising standards in state schools by recruiting 6,500 more teachers and putting mental health counsellors in every secondary school.”

The Labour MP said the difference between the parties is that the Conservatives talk a big game but have allowed schools to fall into disrepair, but Labour has a long-term plan to drive high and rising standards in state schools by recruiting 6,500 more teachers and putting mental health counsellors in every secondary school.” Cllr Carl Marshall, Leader of County Durham Labour, said reopening the Leamside Line – a project so important that the PM announced it in his conference speech, yet simultaneously so insignificant that he discards it having achieved the headlines he craved.

Cllr Carl Marshall, Leader of County Durham Labour, said reopening the Leamside Line – a project so important that the PM announced it in his conference speech, yet simultaneously so insignificant that he discards it having achieved the headlines he craved.

“Tories continue to lie to the North East. For 24 hours, Leamside Line was to be reopened, then we were told it would be up to us to do it…and then that turned out to be lies too.

“Whatever you think of it, scrapping HS2 was hailed by the PM as a catalyst for a UK infrastructure spending boom. In reality, Richard Holden has chucked the North East a £700m bone from an estimated pot in excess of £36bn.

“Sadly, that will go nowhere. Reopening Leamside will cost £1bn, and expanding the Metro through Washington would cost £745m, and that is without the £500m needed to save the Metro signalling system or deliver the latest unfunded promise to dual the A1.

Cllr Marchall said Holden and Sunak know there’s no money but take the North East for fools. “Empty promises to match their empty budgets,” he added.

Dr Antony Mullen, Leader of the Conservative Group, and Councillor for Barnes Ward in Sunderland City Council said: “The region is held back by not having a more extensive metro system. Since its opening, it has not received the funding to extend in the way that some of us would like to see.

We have to remember that not all local residents support the extension of the metro in all of the ways that have previously been highlighted as options, so we have to make the case locally as well as nationally.”

Leader of the Conservative Group said he recently met with a group of councillors and MPs from the North East, along with Tobyn Hughes, where they have expressed continued support for the re-opening of the Leamside Line

“This is a major project which will require substantial investment and it is necessary to progress with a feasibility study to make the business case. I would like to see a cross-party commitment to fund the extension of the metro and think it would be helpful if our local MPs confirmed that they will refuse to serve in a Labour government that does not commit to funding the extension.

“The Department for Transport Minister Richard Holden has confirmed that funding will be allocated to the mayoralty to fund this. I hope that all parties and the Independent candidate will confirm their support for this ahead of next year’s election.”

Leader of the Liberal Democrats Group, Paul Edgeworth, and Councillor for Grindon, Hastings Hill, Springwell and Thorney Close said: “Re-opening the Leamside Line through Penshaw and Washington is undoubtedly the right thing to do. But the Conservatives simply cannot be trusted to deliver on Leamside or any of the other projects they’ve promised. One day they promised to fund the re-opening of the Leamside line – the next they said it was just an ambition.

He said it is also unclear how the Government’s ambition to use the Leamside Line for additional capacity on the East Coast Main Line will be able to fit with the local priority of expanding the Metro from South Hylton to Penshaw and through Washington.

“It’s a national embarrassment that we can’t even build a new railway line in this country when other parts of the world have had high-speed rail for decades. Astronomical amounts of money have been spent on a new railway line which now won’t even be built. Rishi Sunak’s totally incompetent handling of this HS2 fiasco makes Liz Truss look like a political mastermind.

“The Government and Labour councillors in charge of regional transport committees also need to be ambitious for improving direct rail links to Sunderland and extending the Metro to other parts of Sunderland like Doxford Park, Ryhope, Grangetown, and Hendon, Cllr. Edgeworth added.