To improve awareness and use of the Bishop Line from Darlington to Bishop Auckland, the Bishop Line Community Rail Partnership (CRP) has led an inspiring project whereby local voices tell the story of the route to passengers.
The route, part of the Stockton – Darlington railway, the world’s first passenger line to use steam locomotives, has been brought to life by Hannah Bruce & Co in ‘Our Line’, an audio story comprising the fond memories of passengers and local people researched by the group to show how the railways changed people’s lives.
The story performance, which is free with a valid train ticket, is neatly timed to start on Darlington station, accompany passengers onto the train and finish as their train pulls into Bishop Auckland at the end of the line.
Core annual community rail funding to the Bishop Line CRP from CrossCountry supported the development of the project alongside the Northern Rail Seed Fund. ‘Our Line’ was delivered in partnership with Luxi and Jabberwocky Market and the University of York.
Hannah Bruce said: “People along the Bishop Line have wonderful stories to tell about rail past and present. Through Our Line passengers can meet past generations and use the landscape through the train window as a filmic location for their stories.”
Passengers enjoy the Bishop Line story