CONSTRUCTION company Shepherd is offering people from the region the chance to get a behind-the-scenes glimpse of rail history in the making.

The Darlington-based company is opening the doors to Hitachi’s train factory in Newton Aycliffe on Friday 6 and Saturday 7 March to give guided tours around the site which starts making trains next year.

Shepherd, which is due to finish building the factory this summer, is the only County Durham company participating in the national Open Doors Weekend initiative - a series of events organised to spark the imaginations of young people and raise awareness of exciting career opportunities.

The Hitachi tours are open to everyone but places are limited. To register visit opendoorsweekend.co.uk/site/242