(22 Jul 2013, 10:57 am)Kuyoyo wrote Ok then, are you prepared to pay a hugely increased fare to pay for such trains. The reason they are refurbishing the old and not buying new is that the bulk of the £385million Government grant is mainly for the infrastructure. Hence why the stock is being refurbished not replaced.
People have paid increased fares year on year since the system opened. I've used it more the past month than I have in the past 10 years, and the ticket price seemed to go up every time I bought one. It's no wonder my expenses got queried. This is not to mention the various levies depending on where in Tyne and Wear you happen to live. It's only in the last few years when everyone's budget is already tight that the ITA wanted to start investing. Realistically it should have happened between 1997-2006, when the Labour government were more than happy to piss money up the wall on everything and anything. Instead we're doing everything on a big bang approach.