In 1991, the Metro was extended to the Airport and in 2002 it was extended to Sunderland. However, key areas of Tyne and Wear are still missing out on the Metro. As the Metro Strategy 2030 report identifies, the West End of Newcastle is one of the most densely populated areas of the city yet the Metro currently only goes as far west as St James’. Elswick, Denton and Scotswood remain without a Metro stop whilst others such as Jesmond have access to two stations. The yellow line should be extended to link up with the West End.
Initial steps have been taken to make the case for extending the Metro to Washington but what if we could go even further? If we wanted to be ambitious, we could connect the Metro to South East Northumberland and wider parts of North Tyneside. A new line could be developed to link up post-industrial areas such as Ashington, Blyth, Cramlington and Dudley which could then join the existing yellow line at Four Lane Ends.
The new plans for the Northumberland railway line are welcome, with the final result set to intersect with Northumberland Park Metro station but new Metro stations could thrive alongside the new route making transport easier for everyone.
A Metro system that works for your work, should also work for your leisure and recreation. The X18 Arriva service takes people around three hours to get from Haymarket to Seahouses. Developing a new coastal line, starting at Tynemouth and heading north, could link up areas such as Seaton Sluice, Newbiggin and Seahouses to the city centre. This would give people the opportunity to access coastal destinations within minutes and could possibly reduce traffic congestion in the car parks of local beaches on busy days.
A Metro system that works for your work, should also work for your leisure and recreation
Building new train stations and renovating disused ones could employ hundreds of people but it could also ease pressure on the existing bus network helping companies such as Arriva improve services. For example, Killingworth already has an excellent bus station outside the shopping centre which could be joined up with a new Metro station to create an interchange. At other major shopping centres such as the Metrocentre and Silverlink, new Metro stations would do exceptionally well.
Looking forward, commitments to accessibility and sustainability need to be at the heart of any future Metro proposals. A previous documentary details how passengers were already swapping their cars for the Metro in the 1980s. Expanding the network to more areas in the North East will not only help the planet, but it will also make transport easier for us all.