Getting the region moving on cheap and reliable public transport is good for residents and businesses alike.
Our Devolution Deal includes a city region sustainable transport settlement of up to £563 million. This settlement can be used to develop mass transit networks and sustainable transport options, open up new areas of the region for employment, leisure and housing, and create real innovation in transport to solve problems. The Deal also includes £73.8 million of capital funding and £89.8 million resource funding to deliver the combined Bus Service Improvement Plan for the North East.
Buses
Buses are a vital part of our transport network. The Devolution Deal gives the Mayor the power to franchise buses to take control of routes are fares. In week one of being elected I will launch a region wide review with bus companies, schools, colleges, large employers, councils and communities to find and fill the gaps in the bus network. I will work with bus companies and councils to fill those gaps.
I will mandate that live digital timetables are installed at bus stops, linked with GPS trackers on the buses, so just like the Tube in London travellers know exactly when the bus is coming.
Rail
I will lead a railway renaissance in the North East. I’ve seen firsthand how our local Conservative team can deliver new rail services with the new Northumberland Line running from Newcastle to Ashington.
I can do the same with the Leamside Line which runs from Gateshead to County Durham. Re-opening Leamside will enable parts of the region – who have no access to rail – to be connected with Newcastle, Sunderland and Teesside, as well as with significant employers like Nissan and Amazon.
The East Coast Main Line runs down the spine of the region, but the priority has been fast trains between London and Edinburgh at the expense of local stopping services. I will prioritise a regular stopping service north of Newcastle calling at all stations including a re-opened Belford station. By investing in passing loops we can have a local service without compromising on intercity connectivity.
The Northumberland Line passenger service will be extended with a station at Newbiggin-by-the-Sea and the potential for a station at Lynemouth to support the development of the former Alcan Aluminium Smelter site.
I will work with the Government on the business case for heavy rail services to Newcastle Airport, upgrades to the Tyne Valley and Durham Coast lines; new rail services between Newcastle and Consett, and major investments in Sunderland and Newcastle Central stations.
Metro
Our government is currently providing £337 million of funding to Nexus to support the £362 million introduction of a new Metro train fleet and maintenance depot, expected to be fully implemented by the end of 2024. I will continue to invest in the Metro to make it safer, cleaner, and greener.
I will expand the metro with the Washington Metro Loop. The 13·5 km loop would link the existing Tyne & Wear Metro stations at Pelaw and South Hylton via Washington, serving the UK’s ’fourth largest town without access to a rail service’. I will also seek expansion to Cobalt Business Park and Team Valley, the Metro Centre, and lengthening the line at Newcastle Airport into Ponteland.
Ferry
The Shields Ferry is a vital link across the Tyne between North and South Shields, but over a decade of local labour party failure means its future is in doubt. The existing north landing is expected to fall into an unusable condition in 2025. Labour leaders have so far failed to build a replacement terminal closer to the North Shields Fish Quay.
I will guarantee its future by allocating funding to a ferry terminal in North Shields.
