Tyne and Wear Metro

[citaro5284]

I see a local Councillor in Holywell thinks Metro is too slow and is advising residents not to use it!!

Tyne and Wear Metro bosses dismiss call to run 'express' services to popular destinations

https://www.chroniclelive.co.uk/news/nor...s-27999086

[Aaron21]

I see a local Councillor in Holywell thinks Metro is too slow and is advising residents not to use it!!

Tyne and Wear Metro bosses dismiss call to run 'express' services to popular destinations

https://www.chroniclelive.co.uk/news/nor...s-27999086

How would an express variation of the metro even work. Its not like the east coast main line or any network for that matter where the metro could just overtake it. Its like here's a scenario 

Your at Sunderland and you have a T&W Day Rover or explore. You decide you want to go to Newcastle and you have two choices 

The metro or the northern. Your mind says Northern cause it quicker but in reality its the metro for the fact is the metro is in front of the northern and the northern is just gonna get stopped by the metro. Its happened to me where I've boarded the northern cause I've just missed the metro and the northern has been held up. 

An express variation of the metro wouldn't work as what would you call express. Say Airport to South Hylton. What's your stops gonna be like. In reality here's what it would probably be

Airport, Regent Centre, South Gosforth, Haymarket, Monument, Central, Gateshead, Heworth, Pelaw, Stadium of light (match days only) Sunderland, Park Lane, South Hylton. That's what I'd class as a express metro

Regent Centre, Haymarket, Monument, Central, Gateshead, Heworth, Sunderland, Park Lane for bus connections 

Pelaw & South Gosforth for train changes and Heworth, Central & Sunderland for Northern & Mainline trains

St James to South Shields would be

St James, Monument, Wallsend, North Shields, Tynemouth, Cullercoats, Whitley Bay, Northumberland Park, Four Lane Ends, South Gosforth, Haymarket, Monument, Central, Gateshead, Heworth, Pelaw, Jarrow, South Shields 

Same reason above for Wallsend, Haymarket, Four Lane Ends, North Shields, Haymarket, Monument, Gateshead, Pelaw, Heworth, Jarrow  for buses and local rail connections 

Northumberland Park for when the Northern line opens

Tynemouth Cullercoats & Whitley Bay for the Coast

Sorry this is such a long read

[Storx]

How would an express variation of the metro even work. Its not like the east coast main line or any network for that matter where the metro could just overtake it. Its like here's a scenario 

Your at Sunderland and you have a T&W Day Rover or explore. You decide you want to go to Newcastle and you have two choices 

The metro or the northern. Your mind says Northern cause it quicker but in reality its the metro for the fact is the metro is in front of the northern and the northern is just gonna get stopped by the metro. Its happened to me where I've boarded the northern cause I've just missed the metro and the northern has been held up. 

An express variation of the metro wouldn't work as what would you call express. Say Airport to South Hylton. What's your stops gonna be like. In reality here's what it would probably be

Airport, Regent Centre, South Gosforth, Haymarket, Monument, Central, Gateshead, Heworth, Pelaw, Stadium of light (match days only) Sunderland, Park Lane, South Hylton. That's what I'd class as a express metro

Regent Centre, Haymarket, Monument, Central, Gateshead, Heworth, Sunderland, Park Lane for bus connections 

Pelaw & South Gosforth for train changes and Heworth, Central & Sunderland for Northern & Mainline trains

St James to South Shields would be

St James, Monument, Wallsend, North Shields, Tynemouth, Cullercoats, Whitley Bay, Northumberland Park, Four Lane Ends, South Gosforth, Haymarket, Monument, Central, Gateshead, Heworth, Pelaw, Jarrow, South Shields 

Same reason above for Wallsend, Haymarket, Four Lane Ends, North Shields, Haymarket, Monument, Gateshead, Pelaw, Heworth, Jarrow  for buses and local rail connections 

Northumberland Park for when the Northern line opens

Tynemouth Cullercoats & Whitley Bay for the Coast

Sorry this is such a long read

The general idea is you'd have the 'express' service running 2 minutes in front of the slow stopper service.

Personally on paper I don't think it's a bad idea at peak times in a way.

You could have the 'express service' at say 8:18 in the morning from Monkseaton running

Monkseaton -> West Monkseaton -> Shiremoor -> Northumberland Park -> NON STOP -> South Gosforth -> NON STOP -> West Jesmond -> Jesmond -> All stops to Pelaw

Then you'd have the slow service running at 8:20 immediately after it stopping at everywhere. That express service would then catch up the 8.08 service by the time it gets to the West Jesmond area and run normally and save a good 8 minutes or so. The peak time Monkseaton service used to be slammed by the time it go to Northumberland Park anyway so would benefit everyone rather than massive dwell times while everyone is fighting to get on the train at places like Benton and a second train queueing immediately behind half empty.

The Metropolitan Line does it in London between Baker Street and the further routes. It's arguably better than having 2 services running 3 minutes apart duplicating each other..

[mb134]

I see a local Councillor in Holywell thinks Metro is too slow and is advising residents not to use it!!

Tyne and Wear Metro bosses dismiss call to run 'express' services to popular destinations

https://www.chroniclelive.co.uk/news/nor...s-27999086

Not strictly Metro based, but I find the following bit quite funny: "The return of passenger trains to the reopened Northumberland Line next year will see communities in South East Northumberland given a new link to the Metro network, as trains will stop at an interchange at Northumberland Park station.". 

Apart from fact that the site of every single station is currently served by a bus service which already links to the Metro network...

[Aaron21]

Not strictly Metro based, but I find the following bit quite funny: "The return of passenger trains to the reopened Northumberland Line next year will see communities in South East Northumberland given a new link to the Metro network, as trains will stop at an interchange at Northumberland Park station.". 

Apart from fact that the site of every single station is currently served by a bus service which already links to the Metro network...

All of them may be connected but remember. Ashington to Whitley Bay has the 57/57A being the only bus route to serve station other than Regent Centre

[mb134]

All of them may be connected but remember. Ashington to Whitley Bay has the 57/57A being the only bus route to serve station other than Regent Centre

They also serve South Gosforth (X7/8) and Haymarket (all relevant services), both of which are arguably better stations to serve than Northumberland Park which requires an additional change of Metro train if you're wanting to get to the airport for example. Regardless, they're trying to paint a Metro connection as a new thing when it has literally existed with bus services for years. 

Come to think of it, I don't really understand the selling point of the change to the Metro at Northumberland Park because for lots of people it's borderline useless. If you're wanting to go south, then you'll stay on the train until Central where you have both Metro lines to choose from. If you're wanting the coast, then majority of places already have bus services which in a few cases will be quicker and cheaper than getting a train and Metro? For example from Seaton Delaval, there's a 57/A every 30 minutes which takes about 20 minutes, will the train/Metro combination be quicker than that when including the waiting time? Same with Blyth depending on where you are.

[Adrian]

I see a local Councillor in Holywell thinks Metro is too slow and is advising residents not to use it!!

Tyne and Wear Metro bosses dismiss call to run 'express' services to popular destinations

https://www.chroniclelive.co.uk/news/nor...s-27999086

It's a bit of an odd thing to come out with, but it doesn't surprise me. Most Councillors I've worked with, they wouldn't know public transport if it hit them in the face.

Even if they had the stock to deliver it, without impacting frequency elsewhere, I don't think there's any passing places on the network? Unless they're going to get into the complications of bi-directional running.

Not strictly Metro based, but I find the following bit quite funny: "The return of passenger trains to the reopened Northumberland Line next year will see communities in South East Northumberland given a new link to the Metro network, as trains will stop at an interchange at Northumberland Park station.". 

Apart from fact that the site of every single station is currently served by a bus service which already links to the Metro network...

I don't know the area well enough to comment, but in Washington, where a similar link is highly sought-after, the issue isn't so much the lack of a bus link; it's the time it takes.

35 minutes from my closest stop to Heworth, followed by an 8 minute run on the Metro to town. If you time it right, it's quicker to use the X1 when the traffic is on your side. Metro directly from Washington to town would be 15 minutes tops.

Sent from my SM-S916B using Tapatalk

[Storx]

They also serve South Gosforth (X7/8) and Haymarket (all relevant services), both of which are arguably better stations to serve than Northumberland Park which requires an additional change of Metro train if you're wanting to get to the airport for example. Regardless, they're trying to paint a Metro connection as a new thing when it has literally existed with bus services for years. 

Come to think of it, I don't really understand the selling point of the change to the Metro at Northumberland Park because for lots of people it's borderline useless. If you're wanting to go south, then you'll stay on the train until Central where you have both Metro lines to choose from. If you're wanting the coast, then majority of places already have bus services which in a few cases will be quicker and cheaper than getting a train and Metro? For example from Seaton Delaval, there's a 57/A every 30 minutes which takes about 20 minutes, will the train/Metro combination be quicker than that when including the waiting time? Same with Blyth depending on where you are.

It hasn't been confirmed yet but I believe there's talk that the new train line is going to be part of the Nexus fare zones and was all part of the documents in the early days. There hasn't been much talk lately bar a newsletter confirming that the 'fare structure has been confirmed with partners' so it suggests there's something still there as if it was National Rail fares only then there wouldn't be any partners to discuss anything with.

Whether it's the TNE fare or whatever who knows but the 434 is definitely part of it and interworking with the trains, note the 00/32 times of the 434 leaving Ashington / Bedlington Station heading North so can assume where the train timetable is going to be for connections.

I'd be very surprised if the train timetable doesn't end being something like

Northbound: Bedlington Station (50/20), Ashington (55/25)
Southbound: Ashington (22/52), Bedlington Station (27/57)

Note there's driver's based at Ashington aswell which suggests the train is going to sit there and not Newcastle.

[Rob44]

I try to stick up for the metro but it's carp!!! 2 lifts in city centre are out of use. Only central and St James working!!!!! Also no train to coast for 4 trains in a row. And I thought living near the metro would be great!!!

[Iamtheone8483748]

Don't know much about the metro, but by the looks of this there is potential for even more travel chaos to be caused.

https://www.unitetheunion.org/news-event...better-pay

[NEbushopper]

As if it could not get any worse

[Unber43]

As if it could not get any worse

SC Sunderland are due another strike/pay rise before the year ends

[Mark1]

The Chronicle are reporting there will be no strike after the Metro engineers accepted the revised pay offer

https://www.chroniclelive.co.uk/news/nor...e-28080142

[Rob44]

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cp4erxkk9ddo

60 different tickets on nexus web site?

[Storx]

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cp4erxkk9ddo

60 different tickets on nexus web site?

https://www.nexus.org.uk/tickets?type%5B0%5D= - There is, there's stupid numbers of Metro tickets and Pop tickets around, the corporate stuff etc probably shouldn't be on there.

[Unber43]

Thats why I only use the metro when i buy the £3 tickets, its a absolute joke working out metro pricing its cheaper to get on the bus for 1 stop get the £3 ticket and use the metro both ways much less hassle or even buy it on the GNE app without using a GNE bus

[XQ Zero]

Another two of the new Metro units, 555013 and 555015, arrived in the early hours of Saturday 16 December 2023.

[citaro5284]

Tyne and Wear Metro fare hike approved as councillor warns of 'sad reality' facing passengers

https://www.chroniclelive.co.uk/news/nor...e-28471988

[Retro Nero]

Thats why I only use the metro when i buy the £3 tickets, its a absolute joke working out metro pricing its cheaper to get on the bus for 1 stop get the £3 ticket and use the metro both ways much less hassle or even buy it on the GNE app without using a GNE bus

You can buy the £3. Ticket from the metro ticket machine without having to purchase it from a bus ..( under21 day tickets) also valid on any bus company,( Stagecoach ,Arriva, Go.North East.  Gateshead Central ,) ..Shields Ferry and even the Northern Trains between Heworth and Blaydon.

[busmanT]

Another two of the new Metro units, 555013 and 555015, arrived in the early hours of Saturday 16 December 2023.

Introduction of new trains further delayed (summer now rumoured)
https://www.nexus.org.uk/news/item/intro...ect-update