A £34m investment package has been approved to reinstate a rail link between Northumberland and central Newcastle.

The new service, named Northumberland Line, is set to be ready by 2024 and will be led by Northumberland County Council in partnership with Network Rail.

The project will see 18 miles of track upgraded as well as six new stations being opened, with the whole scheme set to inject up to £470m into the local economy.

The £34m package also helps towards the final projected cost of £166m, with further funding also set to appear once the planning work is completed.

Glen Sanderson, leader of Northumberland County Council, said: “This is absolutely fantastic news and means we can now finalise our plans to deliver this transformational project for both Northumberland and the wider region.

“Along with our partners we’ve done so much work to get the scheme to this stage and the Government is clearly convinced this is a project that needs to happen.

“With trains running through our county into the heart of Newcastle every half hour this will provide a massive boost to the county – in terms of opening up education, housing and investment,” he added.

“It will also have a positive long-term environmental impact, helping with the move away from cars to greater public transport use and cutting congestion in bottleneck areas.

The new development has also made the most of land value capture as a source of funding, with this new scheme being the first to help fund a UK rail project.

So far the program has been led by AECOM, and their regional director Simon Middleton commented that cash injection was another step forward for the project.

“The funding announcement gives us the green light to reintroduce this much-needed rail service, through an innovative project which shows how Beeching cuts can be quickly and efficiently reversed,” added Middleton

“Working with Northumberland County Council, Network Rail and SLC Rail, AECOM is helping to bring about a rapid transformation in transport choices for people living and working in Northumberland, opening up new routes for them to get to work, study or connect with different communities.”