DURHAM County Council's Cabinet has approved a £2. 1 million grant for the Weardale Railway following a request for financial support from the line's new owners, The Auckland Project (TAP).
TAP is a charity formed through the development of Auckland Castle as a tourist destination, with the group confirming its purchase of the railway in March as part of ambitious plans to create jobs and make more of the area's vast railway heritage.
Ownership of assets passed to Weardale Railway Ltd, a subsidiary ofTAP. It superseded Weardale Railways Community Interest Company (CIC), of which British American Railway Services was the majority shareholder.