A disused railway remains on track to reopen next year despite the devastating closure of the cement works which could have provided its biggest customer.

The enthusiasts behind the plan to restore passenger services along the scenic Weardale line said yesterday that their plans to reopen the track would not be derailed by the proposed closure of Blue Circle's plant at Eastgate.

Last week, Blue Circle announced that its 40-year-old plant would close in the summer with the loss of almost 150 jobs dealing a devastating blow to the economy of the dale.

The Weardale Railway Company, the private venture which hopes to reopen the passenger line between Bishop Auckland and Stanhope, had previously said it had hoped Blue Circle would use the line to transport freight traffic out of its plant as it had done until 1993.

But managing director Brian Morris said the plans to re-open the line did not rely on attracting traffic from the giant cement works.

"It doesn't have any affect on the plans for the line," he said.

"The closure is bad news for the dale, but as far as the railway goes it doesn't affect our plans.

"Had Blue Circle remained open and had they made the decision to transfer some of the movements of their product to rail, then it would have helped us.

"There is extra money available from the Strategic Rail Authority for moving freight from road to rail and that would have been helpful but we didn't really expect it to happen."

The campaign to reopen the historic Weardale line, which first opened in 1862, has won celebrity backing from businessman Sir William McAlpine, naturalist David Bellamy and Pop Idol judge and record producer Pete Waterman.

The Weardale Railway Company hopes to buy the line for £100,000 and operate six daily services as well as reopening long-closed stations such as Frosterley, Wolsingham and Witton Park.

Having worked through several years of red tape, the company is hopeful of getting the final go-ahead in March and the first trains could be running within the following year.