Mayor announces £208m transport investment including new route between Blyth and Whitley Bay

It includes schemes like the reopening of the Leamside railway line, the creation of an integrated single ticket system working across different modes of public transport, improved walking and cycling infrastructure, and the dualling of the A1 in Northumberland.

The North East Combined Authority (NECA) insists that the £8.3 billion vision was “ambition for the North East on a scale we have never seen before”.

A new north landing to safeguard the future of the Shields Ferry, new ticket gates at Metro stations, and 100km worth of active travel routes including a route from St Mary’s lighthouse in Whitley Bay to Blyth are among an initial £208 million worth of schemes due to be delivered in the next three years.

North East Mayor Kim McGuinness, said: “I have bigger, longer-term plans for our region and we’ll be investing more in due course, but this initial £208m is the first phase of a major £800m capital investment programme which we will roll-out over the next three years to revive our network, and improve public transport and active travel for all.

“We are rolling up our sleeves and getting on with the job at hand of investing heavily in transport to reverse the decades of under investment in the North East.”

But members of the North East Sustainable Transport coalition have accused NECA of failing to set firm, specific targets for reducing carbon emissions, car mileage, or road injuries.

A NECA spokesperson said: “Local people will see for themselves 100km of new cycle, walking and wheeling routes, over a thousand new EV charging points across the North East, hundreds of new, safer and more accessible bus shelters, and the roll-out of simple smart travel to encourage people to switch to bus, Metro and rail in greater numbers.

"That is just the start of the mayor’s drive to reverse decades of underfunding through investment of more than £800 million as part of the Local Transport Plan. This is ambition for the North East on a scale we have never seen before.”