North East Mayor today announced the first
new Metro line for 30 years will be built as part of a £1.85bn
funding deal agreed with the Government.
The new Metro line through Washington stands at the heart of the
largest single package of investment ever made in the North
East's transport networks, funding a huge investment in road
maintenance, better and safer walking and cycling routes and new
bus priority measures.
Mayor McGuinness secured the investment after raising it
personally with Chancellor and today hailed the deal
agreed with Treasury as ‘game changing' as she delivers on her
vision to create the ‘Angel Network' - a fully integrated
sustainable transport network to drive the economy, support new
home building and extend opportunity to all.
North East Mayor said: “When I was elected
Mayor I promised voters I would extend the Metro and now, 12
months on, I can today announce that will happen.
“I am thrilled to say we can now get on with the job of building
the first new Metro line for 30 years, at last connecting
Washington to the rail network and linking tens of thousands of
people to new jobs and opportunity in our growing advanced
manufacturing sector.
“This is a game-changing moment for the people of our region, who
can look forward to a truly world-class integrated public
transport network, safer walking and cycling routes throughout
our towns and cities, better local roads and a massive
acceleration on our journey to an EV future.
“I promised to make the North East the home of real opportunity
and deliver quality integrated transport that works for
all. This funding means that we can create the Angel
Network with buses under public control, more electric buses
running on time along priority corridors, and contactless smart
travel whether you are on a bus a Metro or a train.
“We will improve accessibility and safety for women and girls
through upgrades to railway stations, interchanges and bus stops,
make walking and cycling routes attractive and build the best
electric vehicle charging network in the country.”
Councillor Michael Mordey, the leader of Sunderland Council,
said: “This is great news for Washington and the whole city of
Sunderland. We have waited a long time to see Metro reach
Washington with a direct line from the city centre.
“This new Metro line will transform public transport for people
living in Washington and connect people from surrounding areas to
the jobs we are creating around Nissan and the neighbouring
International Advanced Manufacturing Park.”
The mayor's deal will provide a major boost towards meeting the
total cost of Metro to Washington, with the whole package also
expected to include private sector funding.
Work to draw up detailed plans for line through Washington is
already underway, with the new line, estimated to cost a total of
about £900m, expected to see the first trains run in 2033, just
over 30 years since the Metro line through Sunderland opened.
It will serve tens of thousands of homes in Washington, the
fourth largest town in England not until now connected to the
rail network, and bring people to jobs in the UK's largest
advanced manufacturing zone around the Nissan car factory.
The £1.85bn announced today will also fund local authority road
and public transport projects right across the North East. These
include highways maintenance, the roll out of safe and
high-quality walking and cycling routes, hundreds of new EV
charging points throughout towns and villages, and new bus
priority measures to make journey times more reliable.
The funding will also take forward the creation of the Angel
Network, a fully integrated sustainable public transport network
including contactless travel across bus, Metro and rail and
improvements to safety and accessibility where people wait, from
bus stops and Metro stations through to large interchanges.
The funding been agreed as the latest phase of the region's City
Region Sustainable Transport Settlement (CRSTS2). It will
cover the five-year period from 2027 to 2032.
The agreement is wholly new money and will form part of the North
East Combined Authority's “Integrated Settlement”, a fully
devolved funding stream that will cover investment in transport,
housing investment and economic growth and skills and employment
programmes which form the Mayor's New Deal for North East
Workers.
ENDS
Notes to editors
