Passengers still in dark on Metro fares price rises

TYNE and Wear Metro passengers can expect news on changes to the cost of their journeys within weeks, amid ongoing negotiations over fare prices.

- By DANIEL HOLLAND

Metro users were warned last year that operator Nexus needed to “maximise” revenue from tickets and elsewhere in order to close a multi-million pound deficit.

But, following confirmation of a national freeze on rail fares for the first time in 30 years, North East mayor Kim McGuinness subsequently called for Government help to extend that help to keep Metro fares down.

A new package of Metro ticket prices is due to be signed off by the mayor and her cabinet on February 3, but details of the plans are yet to be published and bosses are staying tight-lipped as talks continue behind closed doors.

The Chronicle understands that officials in the mayor's office are looking at potential measures for Metro passengers aimed at replicating the success of the £2.50 cap on bus fares.

Following the launch of the subsidised bus tickets, patronage across the region is thought to have grown 7% last year and 20% among young people.

Initial budget plans for the North East Combined Authority (NECA) in 2026/27 assume a rise in Metro fares in line with the rate of inflation is required, generating an extra £1 million in revenue.