The North East’s leaders have been urged to finally take action that would end the “two-tier public transport system” holding back communities in the west of Newcastle.
Councillors have renewed calls for major investment that would extend new transport links to areas like Benwell and Scotswood, which are cut off from Tyne and Wear Metro or rail services.
Seeing the Metro extended to the West End of Newcastle has been a long-held dream of many Geordies.
There was also once a vision to build a network of street trams that would have lined the area and other poorly-served parts of the North East, under the early-2000s ‘Project Orpheus’ blueprint that was ultimately abandoned.
But council chiefs and the North East mayor are now being pressured to revive such ambitions.
Calling for the creation of a modern transport network for the west of the city, Benwell and Scotswood councillor Rob Higgins said that the “significant” Government funds handed over to the mayor should enable a more equitable spread of transport investment across the region.
Ms McGuinness was promised a £1.85 billion package last year, part of which will be spent on extending the Metro to Washington.
Coun Higgins said that revisiting the Project Orpheus ideas, which could also include the establishment of express bus ‘super routes’ offering speedier services, would enhance the regeneration of the West End and “bring real benefits to some of our more isolated and disadvantaged communities”.
He told colleagues at a council meeting in December that he had been left to “gaze in awe” at the new fleet of Metro trains and “positively palatial” bus shelters in areas like Gosforth and Heaton.
The Labour councillor added: “It is basically a two-tier public transport system in our city, run largely by private operators, which sadly disadvantages some of those who are in the greatest need.”
Fellow Benwell and Scotswood representative Hazel Stephenson said that taxpayers in her area had paid their share of the Metro’s costs and “have never benefited one iota from it”.
She added: “We are having all these innovations, and housing, and regenerations done and it is about time some measures were put in place for the transport links to get people into the city centre.”
Ms McGuinness’ Local Transport Plan does include an ambition for a new westbound public transport extending out from Central Station or St James’, with an indicative £40 million budget and earmarked for delivery between 2033 and 2040.
Her office has now agreed to conduct a feasibility study to identify practical solutions to deliver upgrades for the West End.
City council leader Karen Kilgour cautioned that change “won’t happen overnight” and that the proposals were challenging due to dense housing, lack of existing rail lines, and underground mine shafts – but that officials “cannot let complexity stall progress”.
However, opposition councillors have questioned how realistic such hopes are.
Liberal Democrat Mike Cookson told last month’s meeting that leaders “need to be honest” about the difficulties of taking the city centre Metro tunnels out beyond St James’ due to the geography of the area and the major building work that has happened at sites like the Newcastle Helix since the Orpheus plan was abandoned.
There is, however, a disused railway spur which runs west out of Central Station parallel to Scotswood Road, where there are plans to create a ‘high line’ urban park.
Lib Dem councillor Greg Stone agreed that the West End is underserved by public transport but questioned any rekindling of Project Orpheus as a way of remedying that, labelling the plan a “disaster” that delayed the procurement of the new Metro trains.
A spokesperson for the North East Combined Authority said: “The North East Combined Authority continues to work closely with Newcastle City Council on improving public transport across the city – delivering integrated, affordable and accessible transport for all.
“The Mayor’s Local Transport Plan discusses working on improved transport links in West Newcastle in the longer term. We have met with the council about this and agreed to work together on a new feasibility study. This work follows ongoing improvements across the region’s transport network including projects to complete stations on the new Northumberland Line and work on the first new Metro line for 30 years through Washington.”
