 |
We have uploaded a new video to our YouTube channel showing the ten minute journey time when travelling from South Shields to Jarrow in South Tyneside via Tyne and Wear Metro (train). The journey is on the yellow line via Chichester, Tyne Dock, Simonside and Bede stations. You can take a look at the video here…
Fresh plans to extend Sunderland Metro link into Washington. Plans to extend the Metro to Washington could finally be on track after councillors unveiled an ambitious blueprint for the region’s development. City leaders have put together a wish list of developments they will aim to make reality in their vision of how Wearside will look in 2032, from the new bridge over the Wear to regeneration of the Vaux site. It includes a call by Sunderland City Council to extend the Tyne and Wear Metro network further into the region, connecting the city centre with Washington, along with incorporating the disused South Hylton to Penshaw railway line. As well as this, the action plan highlights the need for a new station as part of a major redevelopment of the former Grove Cranes factory and another in Millfield to service sites such as Lisburn Terrace and Deptford Terrace.
Washington MP Sharon Hodgson, who presented ministers with a petition calling for the Metro to come to her constituency signed by hundreds of residents, told the Echo the move would be a significant boost to the area’s economy. She said: “I’m very pleased to see that Sunderland Council want to improve transport links for Washington residents, and recognise that extending the Metro would make a major contribution to the local economy. Getting a station for Washington is still a long way down the line, but this declaration is a major step in getting all the relevant bodies on board to make it a reality.”
Metro bosses have suggested they are open to the possibility of adding to the network. Director general of Metro operator Nexus, Bernard Garner, said: “We have started work with Sunderland City Council to assess how the Metro system can best be extended and developed to meet the potential future demands generated by these ambitious plans for the city’s future.” Mel Speding, the council’s cabinet, added: “The strategy recognises how the Metro is a significant public transport asset for all of us. Its long-term outlook sets down how the council will work with Network Rail, Nexus and others to secure improvements to public transport and its infrastructure across the city.”
A desire to see the former Vaux brewery site redeveloped as a “new and attractive place to work and live” is also spelled out in the plans, as part of the ultimate aim of creating a “vital and viable centre”. Another major development outlined in the Core Strategy and Development Management strategy is the new Wear bridge, which will be the focal point of the so-called Sunderland Strategic Transport Corridor.
It is hoped the new route will provide a link between the A19 and the Port of Sunderland. Councillor Speding said: “The Core Strategy sits at the heart of the city’s Local Development Framework which replaces the Unitary Development Plan. It will be one of the key delivery tools of both the Sunderland Strategy and the Economic Masterplan. The draft strategy has been examined by the Cabinet and a six week public consultation period is due to begin next month. Over this six week consultation period we want to work with people to see how these needs can best be met. Residents and businesses will have the opportunity to share their views and concerns on the proposal before the final, revised strategy is presented to an independent planning inspector for final consideration.” Consultation on the report will open up to residents and businesses in May.
Newcastle’s Central Station is set for a radical £8m makeover. Rail chiefs are set to pedestrianise the taxi rank outside the station entrance as they prepare to create an impressive new entrance to the city. The entrance will be the centrepiece of £8.6m worth of work which will see the arches glazed over and the currently gloomy entrance turned into a traveller-friendly area. As part of this the walls of the station will be sandblasted and new lights fitted. Inside the main station the current ticket office will be reduced in size and the space handed over for shops, with booking facilities moving to a new site just past the Sainsburys shop.
East Coast, which manages the station, says it wants to double the amount of space for shops and food stalls at the station as a result of the Department for Transport grant. It follows years of talk from business groups, council leaders and rail firms eager to turn the underused station into a more impressive “gateway” to the city. The changes, set to be in place by April 2014, will need planning consent for the Grade I listed building. Planners also want to see the car park space outside the Centurion pub pedestrianised. Taxies will still queue up from Orchard Street with a new pick up point made near the Station Hotel.
East Coast station director Tim Hedley-Jones said: “Newcastle Central station is a key part of the history and future of both the city and the wider North East region. The improvements will accentuate the important heritage of the Grade I listed building, one of only six such stations in the UK, and act as a stunning new gateway to the city for visitors. We believe the project will play a key role in the regeneration of the city centre and help to demonstrate that Newcastle and the North East are very much open for business.”
The changes have been backed by Gateshead MP Ian Mearns, vice chairman of the all-parliamentary rail in the north group. He said: “I think it is vitally important that the regional hub that Newcastle is has this investment. It is important because this is a gateway to the region and we have to be able to say to people, particularly business visitors, that this is what we are like, so yes, these really are very exciting proposals.”
Newcastle Council leader Nick Forbes has welcomed the news. He said: “It is important that visitors to Newcastle get an immediate impression of the confidence and ambition we have as a city and a world class destination for business and tourism. The transformation of Central Station will create an instantly memorable experience for visitors and a 21st Century transport hub worthy of one of Europe’s great cities.”
Newcastle Council will itself spent more than £4m to improve the area immediately outside the station in the coming years. Metro bosses at Nexus were recently turned down in a bid to Government for a multi-million pound refurbishment of the Central Station Metro stop. The station improvement work is due to begin in May, and is expected to be completed in April next year. The station will operate as normal throughout the works.
Added a new video to our YouTube channel today showing the Go North East #35 bus departing Park Lane Interchange in Sunderland. We get a lot of questions about what public transport to use to go to/from Sunderland and South Shields so we have created a page on our website about this bus route/service: #35 Bus Service. You can see the short video we uploaded here…
