Passenger rail line plans could cost up to £329m
LDRSBringing passenger rail services back to a freight line could cost up to £329m, a report suggests.
The East Cleveland Rail Line - which runs between Saltburn and Boulby via Easington - last served passengers in 1960 and the Tees Valley Combined Authority (TVCA) spent £1m looking at the feasibility of it doing so again.
Consultants Arup found it would cost between £107m and £329m depending on where the trains terminated.
TVCA said it was now considering next steps including whether to produce an early stage business case for the scheme.
Arup said the immediate economic argument for the project, using the benefit cost ratio (BCR) system, was poor.
It said the high cost of the project, low demand and slow expected journey times all contributed to an especially small BCR score.
The most expensive version of the rail line would go through Easington and cost up to £329m, according to the consultants, though it would not include the cost of the train stock itself.
But it also pointed to last year's updates to the Green Book - the government guidance on whether projects are value for money - which suggest there are other ways to determine if a scheme is worth it or not.
'Improving connectivity'
It said when viewed through that wider lens, the reinstatement of passenger services could lead to better access to employment in places such as Easington and Loftus, help tackle social exclusion and lead to more tourists to the region's coast.
Other transport options considered by Arup included a new "bus rapid transit" system which would largely run along the proposed railway instead.
But it said reopening the East Cleveland Rail Line, despite risks surrounding costs and commercial sustainability, was its preferred option and there was a "strong case for change".
The consultants also noted the cost of the rail service could be cut, for example by reducing the scale of the proposed work at each station.
Nevertheless, it said the scheme would only work if freight train times could be altered.
A TVCA spokesperson said whatever step it chose next, it was looking at "improving connectivity" in East Cleveland through all modes of transport.
The final cost of the Northumberland Line, which reopened earlier this year, was £336m.
