A mothballed North East England line, adding freight capacity to the East Coast Main Line, is under scrutiny for reopening. The Leamside Line, running from Gateshead just south of Newcastle, to Tursdale, just south of Durham, was last used commercially in 1991. It was originally built to serve coal mining facilities in the region, but has since been officially off the network. Local politicians say the line would serve communities including Washington, a planned city of over 70,000 inhabitants with a significant industrial base.