WHISPER it quietly, but perhaps we are getting on track.

Today we report how the first sod has been cut for Darlington’s £35m Railway Heritage Quarter, and we tell how the final pieces of land have been compulsorily acquired for the £25m revamp of Darlington’s Bank Top station, plus we know that the plans have been submitted so that the National Railway Museum at Shildon can get the necessary permission for its £5.9m new building at the Locomotion museum.

With the 200th anniversary of the Stockton & Darlington Railway fast approaching, it is great to see these developments.

That’s not because we’re anoraky railway nerds but because we believe that great economic benefits can come as a result of this railway investment. The Railway Heritage Quarter aims to regenerate one of the poorer areas of Darlington by using heritage to draw people into the area; a new Bank Top station could create a vibrant rail hub chocker with small businesses, and Shildon will surely welcome with open arms new visitors who come to spend in its hospitality businesses and perhaps even stay a couple of nights to see the Bishop Auckland and Kynren experience and the wild beauty of Weardale.

These will not only mark the bicentenary in 2025 but ensure the anniversary leaves a permanent legacy of improvement.

There needs also to be a big fireworks event in 2025 – something spectacular to get the whole world talking about the bicentenary and the attractiveness of our area. We look forward to reporting those details when they are ready.