Plans unveiled for Tyne and Wear Metro extension to Washington

If plans for a new line serving Washington are adopted the Tyne and Wear Metro could see its first extension since 2002 when trains first reached Sunderland and South Hylton. The proposals would see a new line built between Pelaw and South Hylton – you may be thinking “hold on? Don’t they already run between those places?” and you’re right but this would be an alternative route travelling via Washington, which is said to be the fourth largest town in the country without access to a railway line.

Transport North East has published the first steps of the business case (which will require approval by the North East Joint Council Transport Committee (NEJTC)) which would see three new stations added to the network. The so-called “Washington Metro Loop” is estimated to cost £745 million which would also include extra Metro trains to operate the service.

The proposal would see new stations opened at Follingsby, Washington North and Washington South and is part of a wider project to re-open the Leamside Line in full, with already underway with the development of the new Ferryhill station in County Durham.

The Business Case predicts that the new Metro line will:

• Generate over £90 million per year in economic benefits to the region. Each Metro taken in the region generates £11.80 for the economy.
• Create nearly 8 million additional passenger journeys per year
• Reduce carbon emissions by nearly 87,000 tonnes a year by replacing nearly 1.7 million car journeys per year – the equivalent of over half a million trees a year
• Give Washington – the fourth largest town without access to a rail service – new connections to Newcastle, Sunderland and Newcastle Airport

This business case is building on previous engineering feasibility and demand forecasting work undertaken as part of the wider suite of corridor studies funded through the NEJTC.

Sharon Hodgson, MP for Washington and Sunderland West, said: “I have championed the re-opening of the Leamside Line for over 17 years, so to see a new business case submitted to the Joint Transport Committee for a new Metro line connecting Gateshead, Washington and Sunderland is a huge step forward. Washington is the fourth largest town in the UK not to be connected to a rail network. The people of Washington and Sunderland deserve access to high quality transport to aid economic growth and job prosperity not only within Washington but also across the region. The new Washington Metro Loop will do just that, and I am delighted that we are one step closer to re-opening the Leamside Line in full.”

Sedgefield MP, Paul Howell, added: “I welcome today’s news that a business case for the Washington Metro Loop has been submitted to the Joint Transport Committee. Work is already underway with the development of Ferryhill and the proposed development of the Washington Metro Loop at the north of the line will only further magnify the Government’s investment into the North East.The total cost of delivering the new Washington Metro Loop is under 1% of the overall Integrated Rail Plan budget and the economic benefits for the region and our people is huge, making this plan one that is good value for money and one that the Government should strongly maintain its commitment to as part of delivering Northern Powerhouse Rail in full. I am committed to ensuring our ministers are fully appraised of the importance of the Leamside Line in the North East transport plan. To this end I spoke to the new Secretary of State on Wednesday and will be delivering copies of these proposals to him next week.”

Cllr Martin Gannon, Chair of the North East Joint Transport Committee, commented: “Successive governments have committed to the delivery of Northern Powerhouse Rail in full and that includes re-opening the Leamside Line. The North East is united in one voice and our message to the Government is clear – the Leamside Line is a win for the North East, a win for the UK and a win for this Government. The Washington Metro Loop is a strategically important development for the area and I would urge the Government to come to the table and work with us to deliver this project. It is hugely cost effective in comparison to other big rail projects recently completed in the south of England and forms a small part of the overall Integrated Rail Project for the North. As part of the levelling up agenda, the Government needs to ensure that the north receives its fair share of infrastructure benefit to ensure economic growth and prosperity in the region.”