Mayor wants rail fare freeze to apply on Metro

REQUEST TO GOVERNMENT AHEAD OF THE BUDGET

- By DANIEL HOLLAND

A FREEZE on rail fares for the first time in 30 years should be extended to the Tyne and Wear Metro, the North East mayor has urged.

The Government announced over the weekend that rail ticket prices will be frozen in Chancellor Rachel Reeves' Budget tomorrow, in an effort to ease cost of living pressures.

But the freeze applies only to regulated fares on England's train network and not to local public transport services like the Metro.

Passengers were warned earlier this month that the Metro is facing a £5m deficit and will become "unsustainable" without action to boost income, with Nexus managing director Cathy Massarella outlining plans to "maximise" revenue from ticket fares and other sources.

Yesterday, North East mayor Kim McGuinness told the Local Democracy Reporting Service she had asked the Government to extend the funding for the rail fare freeze to cover the Metro too. She has also called on the Chancellor to deliver long-term support to ensure that a £2.50 cap on the cost of a single bus journey can be extended, with the Labour mayor planning to do so until March 2027.