Regent Centre in Gosforth will be the first Metro station in a decade to get new ticket gates to improve safety and reduce ticket fraud, North East Mayor Kim McGuinness has said.
Work will be complete by the end of the year to install gates and bring customer service staff to the busy interchange used by almost one million passengers every year.
The announcement came as the North East Combined Authority cabinet signed off the Mayor's three-year £208 million delivery plan for better transport, including cash to repair the region's roads, lay down 100km of new cycle, walking and wheeling routes and funding for a new Shields Ferry landing at the Tyne's historic Fish Quay.
The schemes are part of the Mayor’s Local Transport Plan which was approved by the Mayor and Cabinet following extensive public consultation which saw over 16,000 responses.
The Mayor’s investment will deliver before 2027:
- More Metro gatelines at key stations – including Regent Centre in Gosforth – supporting the improvement on public transport for women and girls and other groups and protecting fares.
- A new Ferry Landing for North Shields – safeguarding the iconic Shields Ferry and creating an improved service for thousands of passengers across the Tyne.
- Stepping up the roll-out of mobile and smart ticketing on Metro and local rail.
- 100km of better walking, wheeling and cycling infrastructure – including a route from St Mary’s lighthouse in Whitley Bay to Blyth, a new link between Washington and Northern Spire in Sunderland, improvements on the National Cycle Network between Jarrow and Hebburn and active travel upgrades in Gateshead at MetroGreen.
- Safety and accessibility improvements including improved bus stops across the North East as well as better connected and integrated stations.
- £23m of guaranteed investment for County Durham – bringing Durham into the region’s main transport funding programme aligned with the other six local authorities.
- £15.8m for up to 1,000 new electric vehicle (EV) charge-points in residential areas and chargers at key destinations and public transport interchanges.
- An additional £21.7m of highways maintenance funding for next financial year delivering repairs and renewals right across the region.
North East Mayor Kim McGuinness, said: “For too long we have put up with an inadequate transport network which is in urgent need of investment. At Cabinet we have agreed £208m in funding for projects that I will deliver by 2027, revitalising our transport network and providing a more accessible, safer and better-connected system for local people.
“I’m proud to confirm that I will fund a brand-new Ferry Landing in North Shields, the roll-out of smart ticketing, new gatelines on Metro with Regent Centre the first this year, £23m in funding for County Durham, 100km of better walking, wheeling and cycle routes, extra electric vehicle charge points and safer, more accessible bus stops and stations.
“I have been clear from the outset that I will invest in our transport system to create more opportunities for local people and I am delivering on that promise. 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.”
The investment announced includes ongoing and new investments across multiple modes and is expected to be delivered by 2027.