THERE are thousands of miles of disused railways across the country after stations were closed in the Beeching cuts, including in the North-East.

Despite regional pride as the home of railway, many North-East rail lines succumbed to cuts after a landmark report by then head of British Rail, Richard Beeching.

The Beeching cuts led to the closure of many stations in the 60s, including those at Easington, Fourstones, Blackhall Colliery, Brancepeth, Crook and Horden.

Luckily, not all of the 5,000 miles of railway tracks were ripped from the ground, with around 1,200 to 2,200 miles being converted into rail trails for walking and cycling.

This includes 100 miles across the North-East over 18 specific rail trails. 

Meanwhile, other railway lines have made a comeback. The Sunderland to South Hylton line closed in 1964 but reopened in 2002, rebuilt, as part of the Tyne and Wear Metro.

Here are some of the region's disused railways:

Darlington and Barnard Castle Railway

The 17-mile Darlington and Barnard Castle Railway served seven stations between the two areas, following the valley of the River Tees.

These stations were Darlington Bank Top, North Road, Piercebridge, Gainford, Winston, Broomielaw and Barnard Castle.

Just four years after opening in 1856, the Darlington and Barnard Castle Railway company was absorbed by the Stockton and Darlington Railway.

The line later became the eastern connection between Darlington and Tebay as part of the South Durham and Lancashire Union Railway.

It closed to passengers in 1965 and then to freight the following year. 

Durham to Bishop Auckland line

A lot of railways were popping up to transport coal around the country and the Durham to Bishop Auckland line was one of them. This line was built by North Eastern Rail to improve access to coal mines in the west of County Durham.

There were stations at Hunwick, Willington and Brancepeth when the line opened to passengers in 1857, while a fourth station serving Brandon Colliery opened four years later. 

Closed as part of the Beeching cuts, passenger stopped climbing aboard in May 1964, and freight traffic stopped in 1968.

Today it makes up nine miles of the Brandon to Bishop Auckland rail trail.

Lanchester Valley Railway

Lanchester Valley Railway is also one of the region's disused lines that have been converted into a scenic path, aptly named Lanchester Valley Railway Path.

The redevelopment tracks stretch 12 miles through Durham to Consett along the valley of the River Browney as a foot and cycle path.

At different stages, the railway line once served Blackhill, Consett Iron Wors, Knitsley, Witton Gilbert and Aldin Grange for Bearpark.

It opened in September 1862 to improve connectivity with Middlesbrough and the Cleveland Hills and was closed during the Beeching cuts. 

Leamside line

Leamside line could well be on its way to welcoming trains on its track.

Leamside line served stations across County Durham and Tyne and Wear, including Wardley Colliery, Washington, Leamside and Shincliffe between 1838 and 1964.

It continued operating as a freight line until the 1990s.

In February, Sharon Hodgson, MP for Washington and Sunderland West, launched a petition to fully reopen the mothballed railway line.

The campaigner argued reopening the line would to take the pressure off the East Coast Main Line and enable the Metro to be expended into Washington and County Durham.

In 2003, a large portion of the track just south of Penshaw was stolen over six days, while Network Rail lifted around 16 miles of it in 2012 and 2013. 

Large parts of the line and infrastructure at a former station in Usworth are also missing. 

Durham and Sunderland line

The Durham and Sunderland line ran via Pittington, first connecting Sunderland to Ryhope in 1836. In the two years following, the line was extended to Sherburn and Shincliffe.

Durham Elvet station buildings were demolished in the 1960s and the site is now home to student accommodation. 

However, some of the old lines now help to make up the Regional Cycle Network route 20 and National Cycle Network route 14.

There was another Durham to Sunderland line which ran via Penshaw. This line was partially reopened for the Metro.