(26 Nov 2020, 2:46 pm)Andreos1 wrote Consett is becoming more and more of a commuter town. The land was cheap and houses plentyful once the decontamination from the steelworks was cleared.
The problems lie in and amongst the road network and topography leading to Newcastle, Gateshead and Durham.
Road improvements or widening schemes aren't likely to happen, particularly as the green agenda is increased.
Unless they can get Consett International Airport off the ground again and offer carbon neutral flights, the rail offer is the next best thing. However unrealistic it may appear.
It's just the problem is that there's no where to build it. The land remains to Annfield Plain or so and probably wouldn't be 'that' expensive but it won't be cheap. After there there's nothing your building a brand new line almost as the A693 / A692 was built on the new railway line and it's going to become very very expensive for quite little gain really. In the Tyne Wear area the expansions that I think we could see (if any) would be:
- Leamside Line reopening
- Metro from Leamside Line to Sunderland creating a loop.
- Some form of railway / tram connecting Cobalt running on the Stephenson Railway.
- New Railway along Scotswood Road crossing the Tyne near Blaydon
- Extension of the Metro to Ponteland from the Airport
- Branch line from the ECML into Alnwick
- ECML improvements (Quad track) including new stations at Birtley, Team Valley, Heaton, Killingworth and Cramlington station moved South linked to the Alnwick Spur.
- Metro Extension to Ryhope / Doxford Park (new housing possible)