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Metro is part of everyday life and a great source of pride – but after almost 30 years and more than a billion passengers Metro needs substantial investment to meet the needs of our economy in the decades ahead. The Metro: All Change programme, backed by more than £300m investment by Government over the next 10 years, will deliver ambitious modernisation of the whole system. All Change will let us completely overhaul the tracks and technology which drives Metro to guarantee its future reliability. But it will do more – modernised stations, passenger information, ticket machines and new control barriers will give travellers of the future the convenience they demand. The refurbishment of the distinctive Metrocar fleet and its long-term replacement will empower Metro to carry passengers in a level of comfort to compete with the car. On top of that we hope to win funding for a second track to South Shields, more park-and-ride facilities and the rebuilding of major suburban interchanges. It all adds up to a brighter, cleaner, better Metro for the future. Here’s our plans in detail: All Change: Three phases to Metro’s future Phase 1 – 2008-2010: £55.2m investment
New ticket machines accepting notes and cards at all stations, and barriers at 13 main stations. Modernisation of Haymarket funded through private development. Upgrade of platform areas at Sunderland station. New station at Simonside, Metro’s 60th station, open March 2008. Modernisation programme for other stations. Overhaul of structures such as bridges and tunnels. CCTV and electronic displays on Metrocars. Overhaul of infrastructure and technology Phase 2 – Starts 2010: £255.3m investment Refurbishment of 90 Metrocars. Modernisation programme for 45 stations. New communications system. Overhaul and maintenance of structures such as bridges and tunnels. Overhaul of track and overhead power lines. Modernisation of other infrastructure and technology. Plus: Possible additional funding for new station in South Tyneside; major investment in park and ride; second track alongside existing line Pelaw-South Shields; Rebuilding of South Shields, Heworth and North Shields stations. Phase 3 – Starts 2019, funding yet to be secured. New fleet of Metrocar trains. New signal system. New generation ticket machines. Overhaul and maintenance of structures, track and overhead lines. Further station improvements. Why Metro Matters - Metro carries 133,000 passengers every weekday – at the lowest public subsidy of any comparable UK urban rail network.
- 10 million passengers pass through Monument Metro every year, making it one of the busiest rail stations outside the South East.
- One third of all households in Tyne and Wear use Metro at some point in their daily routines.
- 250,000 people live within walking distance of a Metro station.
- 55,000 students attend Tyne and Wear’s three universities – all served by Metro.
- One in six shoppers at Eldon Square complex arrive by Metro.
- 80,000 passengers travel to and from the Great North Run finish line in South Shields by Metro
A Lesson from History Metro was built in the 1970s because local people and politicians recognised the need to ease congestion on the Tyne crossings and other major roads.
Public transport use soared as passengers discovered the benefits of jam-free travel to the heart of the city, easy connection with bus and convenient park-and-ride sites.
The problems Metro was built to ease have only got more intense as car use has grown.
With the debate about road pricing and concern about congestion and climate change, Metro is now more crucial than ever. Let our cities breath Imagine Tyne and Wear without Metro – a city region in which an extra 133,000 journeys are forced onto over-crowded roads. This would mean:
- 15 million more car journeys every year.
- 20% more cars on the Coast Road and other major routes into Newcastle from the north and east.
- Four times as many buses crossing the Tyne Bridge and potential gridlock at many city centre junctions.
- Twice as many buses travelling into the centre of Sunderland
- 10,000 fewer people travelling into Newcastle every day – dealing a devastating blow to city centre shops and businesses
Building for the Future Planning policy now favours city centre sites over the urban fringe for major new developments, and a new generation are discovering the thrill of city living. Metro will be at the heart of these new developments from day one:
- Newcastle Discovery Quarter: Science City, new offices and homes - St James/Central
- Newcastle Stephenson Quarter: New hotel and conference centre - Central
- Sunderland Riverside and City Centre: The greener city of the future - Sunderland/St Peter’s/Pallion
- Newcastle International Airport: Passenger numbers to triple by 2016 to 9.5m. Staff numbers to rise from 3,000 to 10,000 (Airport).
- Gateshead Town Centre (11,000sq m new retail space) and Baltic Business Park (140,000 sq m new office space) – Gateshead
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