Delays to £100m upgrade of transport angers users

HUGE sums of money to upgrade the North East's transport network are not being spent as planned, it has emerged.

- By DANIEL HOLLAND

Promised measures of nearly £100m, which had been due this year, will not be made on schedule, says data that will be presented to the region's leaders this week.

A passenger group has labelled the lack of progress "hugely frustrating" and demanded answers on why money is not being spent.

Various government transport funding pots allocated to local councils by North East mayor Kim McGuinness to improve bus journeys, cycle routes, and other travel are expected to report heavy underspends in 2025/26.

That includes the flagship Bus Service Improvement Plan (BSIP), which leaders have pledged will deliver changes to make buses cheaper, faster and more reliable.

Only £16m of a scheduled £66m worth of BSIP-backed schemes across the North East are set to come to fruition this year, says a report going to the North East Combined Authority (NECA) cabinet this week.

There is also a £34.8m capital underspend forecast on the North East's City Region Sustainable Transport Settlement programme plus £10.5 million of other transport cash.

NECA indicated that a "small number" of projects had either been delayed, scaled back, or cancelled entirely like a potential bus lane on the Coast Road in Newcastle.