Planning permission has been granted to build a new station at Horden, near Peterlee, in East Durham.
The £10.55 million station will have two 100m platforms connected by an accessible footbridge, shelters, a 136-space car park and bus stops. A new access road, footpath and cycleway will also be created as part of the project.
Initial work is due to start in January 2019, according to Network Rail, with the opening date set for spring 2020.
In 2016, a public consultation on the plans saw almost 1,400 responses with 98.6 per cent of those who took part saying they would use the station. Planners estimate that some 70,000 passengers could use it each year.
Durham County Council has been working closely with Network Rail on the project, which will be funded by the authority, with £4.4 million from the Department of Transport’s New Stations Fund and a grant of £3.34 million from the North East Local Enterprise Partnership.
Councillor Simon Henig, leader of Durham County Council, said: “The new station will significantly improve transport links in the east of the county, providing a boost to the economy and widening employment opportunities for local residents.
“It has been a long time in the making with a lot of hard work involved so it is particularly pleasing that work can now start on a project that will also have knock-on benefits for the wider county.”
The station will link Horden into the local and regional national train network, with trains stopping hourly in both directions.
Read more: Christmas 2018 – Quiet network, busy Network Rail
