£8.7 billion dream to give the North East a "world class" transport system

New Metro stations and railway lines, modern ticketing, major motorway upgrades, public control over buses, and a regional bike hire project are all part of a huge list of projects that leaders are hoping to deliver by 2040.

North East mayor Kim McGuinness has pledged “greener, more reliable, and safer” travel through the roll out of 327 different schemes by the end of the next decade.

The new Local Transport Plan, a draft version of which will be presented to the North East Combined Authority (NECA) next week before being put out to public consultation, is expected to have a total cost £8.66 billion – meaning that it is far beyond the financial capacity of the mayor and other local leaders to deliver alone.

The biggest interventions, such as the reopening of the mothballed Leamside Line and dualling of the A1 all the way up to the Scottish border, would require significant financial backing from either the Government or the private sector if they are to be realised.

There have already been concerns aired about how realistic projects like the Leamside Line, which would allow for an extension of the Tyne and Wear Metro to Washington, will be – given their huge price tag and the fact that past visions have failed to materialise.

Newcastle councillor Greg Stone called last week for tighter scrutiny of NECA’s plans and questioned the North East’s “chequered” history with such masterplans, like the Project Orpheus designs of the early-2000s that would have involved the building of a vast tram network.

Also included on the region’s lengthy wishlist are known plans such as the building of a new ferry landing at the North Shields Fish Quay, the building of a Blyth relief road, and giving free travel on public transport to under-18s.

The sprawling document sets out costs estimates for the schemes as well as delivery timescales – split into those that will be ready by 2027, by 2032 and by 2040.

In her introduction to the proposal, Ms McGuinness said: “The North East deserves a world class transport network and the plan I consult on here sets out my transport promises to the people of this region. This plan outlines a joined up network – simple and affordable to use with wider reaching infrastructure that is fit for the future. 

“It will be greener, more reliable, and safer. Wherever you are in the region, it will be accessible, both physically and financially. From job creation to ending child poverty, the North East transport network has a vital role in my plans to create real opportunity across our region. It is a crucial growth lever, but when it goes wrong it is an insurmountable barrier. That’s why, over the next 15 years, I will work with people and organisations across the region to create that network, with real delivery target dates built into these plans as well as measures to track improvement.”

The new plan marks a refresh of a previous 2021 version that listed £6.8 billion worth of transport projects and went up to 2035.

It follows the agreement of the new North East devolution and the election of the mayor, who has been handed new powers and funding over transport issues that the region did not previously possess.

The report outlines how 31% of residents in the North East, 622,000 people, are at risk of transport-related social exclusion and that both bus and Metro usage are falling over the long-term, with both having decreased in terms of journeys per head and vehicle miles since 2014.

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Among the 327 transport upgrades listed are:

 Up to 2027 

A package of safety, security and accessibility measures on public transport network, making transport safer for women, girls and other vulnerable groups; 

Improved security gatelines at Metro stations;

Delivery of a regional bike hire programme and storage hubs around the North East;

Relocation of the Shields Ferry landing on the north bank of the Tyne to the Fish Quay;

Starting the delivery of the “largest electric vehicle charging network in the country”;

Delivery of a relief road for Blyth;

A relief road near Bowburn to reduce pressure on junction 61 of the A1; 

‘Tap on tap off’ contactless payments for the Tyne and Wear Metro by 2027 and a single-ticket system working across all forms of public transport;

Possible free travel for under-18s and care leavers. 

2028 to 2032 

A remodelling of Heworth Interchange, Gateshead Interchange, Four Lane Ends, Monument Metro station, and Newcastle Airport station;

Reforming the bus system to take public control over services;

A new signalling system for Tyne and Wear Metro;

Extending the Tyne and Wear Metro to Washington in 2032;

Reopening Ferryhill Station in 2030, with passenger trains to Teesside;

Dualling the A1 from Morpeth to Ellingham by 2030; 

A “fully joined-up and region-wide active travel network” to boost walking, wheeling and cycling.

2033 to 2040

A19 junction improvements and capacity upgrades in North Tyneside, South Tyneside, Sunderland and County Durham;

A69 route improvements, including potential dualling west of Hexham;

Increasing the number of tracks and trains calling at Sunderland Station;

A new train station to serve Gateshead town centre;

Opening new Metro stations;

A moveable or opening bridge at the lower level of the River Wear;

Completion of the dualling of the A1 from Ellingham into Scotland;

Exploring a new ferry landing at Royal Quays;

Reopening the Leamside Line, improving East Coast Mainline capacity and creating Tyne to Tees and Sunderland to Durham rail connections.