I think Washington is more likely to be served by the railways than it is the Tyne and Wear Metro.

The line, as it stands, is just too peripheral to the people of Washington. If the Metro was to be extended into Washington, it needs to serve the villages but, more importantly, it needs to serve the Galleries: the commercial centre of the town. I'm not against any proposal to close the 'Wearside Loop' between South Hylton and Pelaw. Any improvement is better than none. But, in my opinion, Washington would be best served by a 'Parkway' station on the Leamside line offering new rail links to Darlo, Teesside and maybe even further south. A 'Parkway' station can be situated away from the commercial centre and, if new developments are happening at the Peel Retail Park, then it is perfectly located as a new transport hub. However, the Tyne and Wear Metro runs into the heart of Newcastle, Sunderland, Gateshead, South Shields, North Shields and so on.. Excluding it from the heart of Washington would be a big mistake.