A DISUSED railway route is to form the basis of a 12-mile tourism trail.

The Barnard Castle to West Auckland railway line opened in 1863 and closed in 1964.

The proposed South-West Durham Heritage Corridor project will form an all-weather track suitable for cycling, walking and horse riding.

The route the track takes is rich in industrial heritage, with a number of structures from the Stockton and Darlington Railway still present.

The track will be complemented with improvements to the surrounding landscapes and restoration of many of the structures.

Work on the £6.5m long-term project will hopefully start in 2008, and potential funding sources include the Heritage Lottery Fund and One NorthEast.

The project is aimed at boosting trade and tourism in the area.

West Auckland sits on the intersection of the A68 and A688 - popular routes for Northumberland, Scotland and the Lake District.

The track will be based on the route of the disused railway but takes in a corridor on either side, travelling through Cockfield, Evenwood and Ramshaw.

Associated regeneration schemes are planned along the route to improve specific areas.

The trail will provide a relatively level off-road route and will cross a number of bridges and two viaducts, one of which is Grade II-listed.

Durham County Council's cabinet member for the environment, Bob Pendlebury, said: "I am pretty confident that we will be able to pull this project together and it will certainly be a very attractive proposal.

"Many of the changes over the years across the county have been for the benefit of trade and tourism, as indeed this will be.

"But it will also make a difference to the people who live there and hopefully give them a boost too."

In a recent meeting, councillors agreed to acquire the land necessary to build the continuous trail and approved preparation of plans for the scheme.