sentences:  Opposed by the NER, the Newcastle, Derwent & Weardale Railway bill was approved by the House of Commons in 1861, although the line was eventually rejected by the House of Lords.The SD&LUR and EVR merged with the S&DR on 30 June 1862, and the S&DR and North Eastern Railway merged on 13 July 1863.Traffic increased rapidly and the line was doubled, starting with the section from Bowes to the summit at Stainmore in 1866, followed by the line from Barnard Castle to the Tees Valley Junction.