North East's £6bn transport wish-list revealed

Improvements are needed on the North East Mainline, according to the transport committee

A proposed £6bn transport wish-list for the North East could reverse decades of "chronic under-investment", political leaders say.

Council chiefs are discussing about 300 draft plans, including extensions to the Tyne and Wear Metro.

Also included are major road upgrades and cycling schemes, which plans say could transform the area by 2035.

The Department for Transport said it was "absolutely focused" on investing billions to "level up" the region.

The new North East Transport Plan proposes a £40m refurbishment of the Tyne Bridge and Central Motorway, as well as the introduction of a single ticket system across the region's public transport, new bus and cycle lanes and more electric vehicle charging points.

Longer-term schemes would include the dualling of the A1 north of Newcastle and the A66, improvements to the A19 and increasing East Coast Mainline capacity north of Newcastle to allow more frequent local stopping services.

Gateshead Council leader Martin Gannon, who chairs the North East Joint Transport Committee, hailed the plans as the "first time the whole of the region has come together" to produce a comprehensive vision for the future.

He said: "Despite Covid and the massive economic impact that will be long felt, it is clear that the government needs to invest to encourage and support recovery and regeneration across the whole of the UK."

'Clogged-up system'

An eight-week public consultation is due to be launched by the committee, the Local Democracy Reporting Service said.

Labour's Mr Gannon denied the plans were "extravagant", adding "the chronic under-investment needs to be addressed".

He praised the Metro system, which was introduced in parts of Tyne and Wear in 1980, but warned "the initial vision was never followed through".

"It needed to connect to Durham, Chester-le-Street, Washington, south-east Northumberland and the Tyne Valley because otherwise it becomes a clogged-up system and you end up with massive congestion on the roads."

The Department for Transport said its Northern Transport Acceleration Council, launched over the summer, would be "crucial" to ensuring improvements are made and it had met recently to discuss delivering upgrades, including investment into the Tyne and Wear Metro and stations.

A spokesperson said: "We are absolutely focused on investing billions to level-up infrastructure across the North East.

"We have also delivered £208m to the North East from the Transforming Cities Fund, committed almost £1bn to dual the A66 and are progressing plans to reverse Beeching cuts and restore services to the Northumberland line."