Metro extension: MP takes fourth petition to Parliament

The Tyne and Wear Metro has 60 stations across Tyneside and Wearside

A petition calling for the extension of the Tyne and Wear Metro to Washington has been presented to Parliament.

The 1736-signature document is the fourth the Washington and Sunderland West Labour MP Sharon Hodgson has submitted on the issue.

She said she hoped it would encourage the government to act.

Metro operator Nexus has proposed adding a further 20 stations by 2030, though a full-scale feasibility study is needed.

Spokesman Huw Lewis said: "Last week there was a clear signal from government that it was interested in the business case for both a new train fleet and possible extension."

Nexus would be consulting with the North East Combined Authority to see how it wanted to progress, he said.

The light rail system, which opened in 1980, has 60 stations across Newcastle, Gateshead, North and South Tyneside and Sunderland.

The petition says its extension is "a vital, yet missing, part of the region's transport system".

It urges the government "to seriously explore the feasibility of extending the Tyne and Wear Metro to the town of Washington, utilising the old Leamside railway line".