New Metro line feasibility study under way
BBCDesigns for new Metro stations and bridges are set to be drawn up in a bid to win government support for a £900m expansion.
The proposed new route to Washington in Sunderland would use part of the disused Leamside line running from Pelaw in Gateshead.
Engineering consultants Arup have been appointed to carry out a feasibility study for the project and design work for infrastructure, which is being overseen by Labour's North East Mayor Kim McGuinness.
It is hoped their designs will help local leaders when lobbying for the huge amount of public funding that would be needed to actually build the extension.
The Local Democracy Reporting Service said full details of where Metro trains would stop in the area, the economic benefits of the eight mile (13km) rail extension and the true cost of the project are expected to be revealed during the development of the outline business case.
NexusThe Washington Metro Loop represents the first section of a wider ambition to reopen the entire Leamside Line, which runs down through County Durham and could allow for the launch of new Tyne-Tees train services.
It was estimated in 2022 that the scheme would cost £745m, but this has since been listed as costing £900m in the mayor's new regional transport plan, which sets a target of delivering the project by 2032.
While the restoration has been a top priority for leaders for years, some critics have raised concerns it could be a "vanity project" which it may not be feasible to deliver.
However, McGuinness has long stated her determination to deliver on the promise of bringing the Metro to Washington, describing it as a "major part" of her ambition to re-open the Leamside route through County Durham and Sunderland.
"I am determined to transform our transport network to change the lives of local people for generations to come," she said.
"This project will be the biggest expansion of the Metro for more than 20 years – and it will be just as transformative as the Sunderland line was when it first opened back in 2002."