Extension 'can be start of transport revolution'

FINALLY extending the Tyne and Wear Metro to Washington can be the start of a “revolution” in the North East’s public transport, campaigners say.

- DANIEL HOLLAND

The North East Sustainable Transport (NEST) Coalition has called for more investment to follow the long-awaited confirmation of the Metro network being expanded to the fourth largest town in England without a train service.

Part of a £1.85bn transport funding allocation being handed to our region will be spent on the Washington Metro Loop, which would use the northern section of the mothballed Leamside Line to create a new route connecting to the existing Metro stations at Pelaw and South Hylton.

And NEST hopes that the move, following on from the successful relaunch of the Northumberland Line between Newcastle and Ashington in 2024, could kickstart a push for more infrastructure upgrades that would make it much easier to travel around the North East and bring it closer to the kind of connectivity options available in the South East or in comparable city regions around Europe.