The Tees Valley will receive a £1m investment in partnership with Network Rail to finance a study into the future of the region’s rail freight network.
The study is intended to resolve issues between the Eaglescliffe to Northallerton branch of the East Coast Mail Line. Currently tunnels and low bridges restrict the size of cargo containers which can be used on the line.
Through Network Rail’s ‘Strategic Freight Network’ project, £750,000 will be contributed to the cost of the study, with an additional £250,000 coming from the Tees Valley Combined Authority (TVCA).
The line carries freight between Felixstowe and the major sea port Teesport on a daily basis. Because of the current infrastructures on the route, the largest containers have to take a time-consuming and costly detour via Darlington.