Hopes new Metro line will end 'false dawns'

The promise of a town's new Metro service will boost jobs and travel, locals have said.

It was announced earlier this month that a new Tyne and Wear Metro extension to Washington on Wearside would open in 2033, with £1.85bn government investment.

Kevin Fairish, from Concord, said there had been too many "false dawns" and the new service would boost jobs and make travel easier.

It will be the first extension to the system in 30 years.

Nexus has organised a series of drop-in sessions and the next takes place on Monday at St Michael's Church in Sulgrave, between 10:00 BST and midday.

Mr Farish, 57, said: "We would use it for going into the city centres, Sunderland and Newcastle, and it would be much quicker if you are going in to see concerts or whatever else.

"There have been too many false dawns with this before, so I hope it does happen.

"It will be good for jobs too, especially if it is going to Nissan and Follingsby Park."

Plans are not yet finalised, but the proposal is for the route to extend from South Hylton and cross over the Victoria Viaduct, before reaching a Washington South station to be located in the Fatfield and Teal Farm area.

Trains would then carry on to a Washington North stop near the Nissan plant and the International Advanced Manufacturing Park, near Concord.

Another station to serve Follingsby Park and the Amazon warehouse is also planned, the Local Democracy Reporting Service said.

Tracy Young, from Washington, said the service had been promised for 40 years and it was happening "not before time".

"It will be beneficial for me when I want to go into Newcastle," she said.

"I think it will need some park and rides where they are proposing to put the stations and a bus link-up."

Paul Hillman, 47, said he hoped the new service would become a reality.

"I think they are missing a trick by not having a stop at the end of Penshaw, there seems to be a very long stretch of track with no stops on it at the moment," he said.

"I have lived in Washington for 20 years and for all that time this has been that carrot which has been hanging down in front of us."

Martin Forster, 36, of Usworth, said it would be great to "have an extra choice with public transport and not be stuck in traffic for two hours every day", amid ongoing frustration over construction work on the A1 and the closure of the Gateshead flyover.

Washington resident Ged Parker said he hoped the Metro extension would bring businesses to the area because travel would be easier.

He said: "The changes and improvements to the area will be incremental rather than a big bang and it is still many years away from being operational.

"It will make life easier for those who need to commute in and out of the area for work."

Sue Forster said she remembered getting excited "at the first mention of this 20 years ago".

"It is so frustrating having to get the bus into town or to a Metro station, getting into Newcastle takes about 45 minutes now," she said.

Nexus said it wanted public feedback on where stations should be located and how the extension would integrate with local buses.

Tom Hardwick, head of system development at Nexus, said: "This is the opportunity for people to ask questions but also for us to get their views.

"When we introduced our new fleet we got something like 23,000 comments and interactions on how we best design a new train.

"If we get anything near that for this project it would be fantastic."

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