North East mayor Kim McGuinness has confirmed that £8.6m of funding will be used to kickstart plans to bring the Tyne and Wear Metro to Washington.
A report will be presented this month to the North East Combined Authority, in which the investment will be set aside to develop business cases for the disused Leamside Line — of which the metro extension will be a part.
The metro’s operator, Nexus, is preparing the business cases, with completion slated for spring 2026.
McGuinness said during a visit to the Leamside Line that its re-opening was a top priority.
I promised we’d extend @My_Metro to Washington.
— Kim McGuinness (@KiMcGuinness) July 10, 2024
Today we’ve committed £8.6m to complete the business case to deliver exactly that.
This is a long term project but we’re getting started.
I’ll build the infrastructure of opportunity across our North East. pic.twitter.com/hqEoccsOOh
Subject to combined authority approval, £8m of the ringfenced funding will be used to develop an outline business case for the Washington Metro Loop. This will include all the information needed on proposed stops and stations, economic impact data, and estimated costings.
The residual £600k will be used to commission a new strategic outline case for the next stage of the project — Leamside South.
“The Washington Metro Loop will be truly transformative, enhancing access to employment opportunities, education, healthcare and leisure activities for the people of Washington,” said Cathy Massarella, Nexus’ managing director.
She added: “This funding will enable Nexus to develop a detailed business case and marks a really positive step forward in the project.”
North East mayor Kim McGuinness said: “I promised that we’d extend the metro to Washington and today we’ve committed £8.6m to developing the business case to do exactly that. This is about creating the infrastructure of opportunity that we need in our region, creating jobs while we do it.”
McGuinness added that it is a long-term project and only signals the start of things to come.
“This is also the start of the Leamside Line that will take us all the way to Ferryhill and to join the East Coast Mainline — bringing more rail to our region is crucial to our future.”
Image credit: iStock
