The world's first railway, the iconic route between Stockton and Darlington will receive a cash injection of £700,000 to turn it into a world-class visitor attraction.
The Heritage Action Zone scheme, announced by Historic England will see the North-East region receive £1.3million to help capitalise on its heritage, with a large proportion of the funding going to the Stockton-Darlington, with hopes to revive the area's pioneering railway history.
Historic England will be giving the scheme its funding and expertise to make the most of railway’s history and legacy as it nears its 200th anniversary. The project will see work carried out across the 26-mile route in order to develop it as a major tourist attraction, aiming to finish in time for the bicentenary in 2025.
Opened in 1825, the S&DR’s first line connected collieries near Shildon with Stockton-on-Tees and Darlington. As coal exports grew, the line was soon extended to a new port and town at Middlesborough. The railway was taken over by the North Eastern Railway in 1963, but continued to operate independently until 1876. The majority of its branch lines eventually fell victim to the Beeching cuts of the mid-1960s.
Today, the Tees Valley Line uses the most of the former S&DR between Bishop Auckland and Saltburn.
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