The station at Eastgate, on the currently mothballed section of the Weardale Railway west of Stanhope, closed in 1953 but could see passenger services again under plans submitted to the Department of Transport. The line was kept open for freight traffic to the nearby cement works, allowing occasional excursion trains to run – such as this BR special on June 24, 1978, formed of a four-car DMU.
A DEPARTMENT for Transport response to the proposed restoration of rail services in Weardale is hoped for by the end of the year.