Several trains have been restored for the Weardale line

The Weardale Railway was visited by a railway inspector on Monday who drew up a list of projects needed before the railway could open.

A team rolled up their sleeves to make sure all the work was completed and on Friday the Weardale Railway Project was given the green light.

It comes just in time for the opening ceremony on Saturday.

The project has involved restoring more than five miles of track, which had been unused for 10 years, reconstructing three stations and building a new engineering base and running shed.

'Slight disbelief'

The �5m project has won funding from a number of sources including the Heritage Lottery Fund and the European Regional Development Fund.

Chairman of the Weardale Railway Trust, Steve Raine, said: "It is a mixture of elation and slight disbelief that we have got to this stage."

He said the team of workers had put in 12 to 14-hour days to make sure the work was completed in time.

The opening day on Saturday will start at Stanhope station with the first train due to leave at around 1045 BST to Wolsingham station.

After the opening ceremony, the plan is to run four trains a day until the beginning of October. There are then plans to run a festive service in December and the next season will start in April.

In 2005, it is hoped the line will be extended to Eastgate and in 2006 to Bishop Auckland. The aim is in four to five years, the railway will be carrying 90,000 passengers.