A ‘RAY of hope’ that could see defunct railway lines open across the region has been welcomed following the Government’s rail strategy announcement.

Transport Secretary Chris Grayling said on Wednesday that rail lines closed during the notorious Beeching cuts of the 1960s could be reopened.

Mr Grayling said he wants to identify which routes would boost the economy, encourage house-building and ease overcrowding.

Restoring lost train capacity is one of a number of reforms featured in the Government’s new rail strategy which has offered some hope that defunct routes could be revived.

There have been long-running campaigns across the region to reopen routes such as the Leamside line in Durham, the Whitby to York line that has been shut since 1965 and to restore Northallerton, Ripon and Harrogate links.

Durham MP Roberta Blackman-Woods has supported the campaign to re-open her city’s Leamside line over many years.

She said she is now going to write to the Secretary for State try and get the route ‘to the front of queue’ in the Government’s discussions over which lines could be brought back into action.

She said: “This is a ray of hope,” adding: “It is good news because there is a chink of light and it is up to us in the region to keep pressing the case.”