(11 Mar 2020, 5:54 pm)Michael wrote The Government has today agreed to fund a £100m scheme to increase service frequency, reduce journey times, and improve reliability on the Tyne and Wear Metro.

The Metro Flow project will see an existing freight line upgraded and electrified in South Tyneside from September 2022, making it capable of carrying Metro services, boosting the capacity for an extra 30,000 passenger journeys every day.

Three sections of single track on the Metro network totalling three kilometres will be dualled between Pelaw and Bede Metro stations #Budget2020

*checks to make sure it's not April 1st*

(11 Mar 2020, 5:54 pm)Michael wrote The Government has today agreed to fund a £100m scheme to increase service frequency, reduce journey times, and improve reliability on the Tyne and Wear Metro.

The Metro Flow project will see an existing freight line upgraded and electrified in South Tyneside from September 2022, making it capable of carrying Metro services, boosting the capacity for an extra 30,000 passenger journeys every day.

Three sections of single track on the Metro network totalling three kilometres will be dualled between Pelaw and Bede Metro stations #Budget2020

Of course, this increased frequency and capacity will likely lead to reductions in parallel bus services in due course.

About time

Is there something wrong with the bridge between Howdon and Hadrian Road?,theres been a temporary speed restriction on there for 2 years

(20 Mar 2020, 8:24 am)V514DFT wrote Is there something wrong with the bridge between Howdon and Hadrian Road?,theres been a temporary speed restriction on there for 2 years

Well it's over 100 years old it might be grade listed but I don't really know

See i thought that, but its a TSR thats slowed them down, but they havent removed the TSR signs and replaced them with permanent ones,have been trying to find out for a while with no luck

https://www.nexus.org.uk/news/item/north...wear-metro

(02 Apr 2020, 3:42 pm)Ds1197 wrote https://www.nexus.org.uk/news/item/north...wear-metro

It genuinely wouldn't surprise me, to see the network become part of the next 'Northern' franchise.

(02 Apr 2020, 5:26 pm)Andreos1 wrote It genuinely wouldn't surprise me, to see the network become part of the next 'Northern' franchise.

I would rather keep it publicly owned than privatised

(02 Apr 2020, 5:39 pm)Ds1197 wrote I would rather keep it publicly owned than privatised

Totally agree. Tendering it out to DB for those years, was an unmitigated disaster as far as I am concerned. 
I don't think it would be any different under a franchise tied with local heavy rail ops either.

I know the opposite happened with MerseyRail, but it's just something I can see happening. Unfortunately.

Sorry but anyone operating the old stock is bound to fail

(02 Apr 2020, 5:26 pm)Andreos1 wrote It genuinely wouldn't surprise me, to see the network become part of the next 'Northern' franchise.

Weirdly eventually I could see it going the other way and Heaton's routes going across to be controlled with the Metro in some form of Merseyrail franchise. It would make sense in parts and allow for better ticketing since bar Saltburn to Bishop Auckland, everything runs through Newcastle anyway and could promote more rail usage especially between the Metro Centre and Middlesbrough, Chathill and Newcastle and the new SE Northumberland route (if it opens) which are all massively underuterlised atm. (Metro Centre to Carlisle is fine).

It's always been a bit of spare part in terms of Northern's main operating area.

Question.. New Howdon depot. After the refurb of Gosforth will it be used in the future still?

I hope so but unlikely

The North East would be sent “back to the ice age” if transport bosses were forced into mothballing the Metro during the coronavirus crisis, a council leader has warned.

As the struggling rail network loses close to £1 million a week after passenger numbers dropped more than 90% and still without any promise of any government support, there are mounting fears over the system's future.

https://www.chroniclelive.co.uk/news/nor...4LMhov0Nog

(22 Apr 2020, 7:05 pm)Michael wrote The North East would be sent “back to the ice age” if transport bosses were forced into mothballing the Metro during the coronavirus crisis, a council leader has warned.

As the struggling rail network loses close to £1 million a week after passenger numbers dropped more than 90% and still without any promise of any government support, there are mounting fears over the system's future.

https://www.chroniclelive.co.uk/news/nor...4LMhov0Nog

If I need to be somewhere quickly I use the metro and it's the only direct link to Sunderland from where I live

(22 Apr 2020, 7:05 pm)Michael wrote The North East would be sent “back to the ice age” if transport bosses were forced into mothballing the Metro during the coronavirus crisis, a council leader has warned.

As the struggling rail network loses close to £1 million a week after passenger numbers dropped more than 90% and still without any promise of any government support, there are mounting fears over the system's future.

https://www.chroniclelive.co.uk/news/nor...4LMhov0Nog

Hysterical nonsense from Gannon and Forbes as ever.

Mothballing isn't the end of the world until this is over. Other networks have and are doing it. No surprise Burnham came out with the same whingeing earlier.

The Government will never allow Metro to close down completely.

The metro is already running at a vastly reduced frequency. It’s foolish in the extreme to suggest mothballing. I also don’t see why anyone would criticise local government politicians’ who make public calls for assistance. It’s what they are paid to do, after all. Given the government was very quick to support the private bus industry and provided almost instantaneous support to the heavy rail industry, it’s unacceptable that it’s taken this long to assist light rail operators which generally have a much higher percentage of local journeys when compared to heavy rail outside of the London commuter zone.

(23 Apr 2020, 11:56 am)markydh wrote The metro is already running at a vastly reduced frequency. It’s foolish in the extreme to suggest mothballing. I also don’t see why anyone would criticise local government politicians’ who make public calls for assistance. It’s what they are paid to do, after all. Given the government was very quick to support the private bus industry and provided almost instantaneous support to the heavy rail industry, it’s unacceptable that it’s taken this long to assist light rail operators which generally have a much higher percentage of local journeys when compared to heavy rail outside of the London commuter zone.

Local Government have mismanaged Nexus and transport integration (including the botched DB Regio and then in house ops debacle) for decades. The ridiculous focus on the pipe dream that was Project Orpheus and delaying any bid for new trains left Metro running on a shoestring.

Hysterical comments don't help and make the region look like a provincial backwater. If Forbes and Gannon had been remotely competent and forward thinking we'd be in a much better position (relatively considering the reach of Covid19) But let's pretend they are marvellous!

(23 Apr 2020, 1:09 pm)Ambassador wrote Local Government have mismanaged Nexus and transport integration (including the botched DB Regio and then in house ops debacle) for decades. The ridiculous focus on the pipe dream that was Project Orpheus and delaying any bid for new trains left Metro running on a shoestring.

Hysterical comments don't help and make the region look like a provincial backwater. If Forbes and Gannon had been remotely competent and forward thinking we'd be in a much better position (relatively considering the reach of Covid19) But let's pretend they are marvellous!

Metro asked the government for new trains for years but the only really care about transport in London

(23 Apr 2020, 3:51 pm)Ds1197 wrote Metro asked the government for new trains for years but the only really care about transport in London

Not remotely true and another propaganda piece happily trumpeted by our Labour lacklustre lot. A thriving London is a thriving UK, trickle down economics. 

Nexus declined to bid and went down a franchising route with DB Regio, again, they blew boatloads on Orpheus which was never ever going to be accepted by even then a Labour government that had poured millions into the region.

(23 Apr 2020, 4:02 pm)Ambassador wrote Not remotely true and another propaganda piece happily trumpeted by our Labour lacklustre lot. A thriving London is a thriving UK, trickle down economics. 

Nexus declined to bid and went down a franchising route with DB Regio, again, they blew boatloads on Orpheus which was never ever going to be accepted by even then a Labour government that had poured millions into the region.

Not true.

The deal with DB was part of the proviso that funding would be released by Whitehall. 
That funding was originally scheduled to run out next year.

Exactly! Not only that, but the government would only agree to a full refurbishment, rather than stock replacement.

And apart from anything else, it’s hardly Nexus’ fault that ridership has decreased by 90% and they will have lost roughly £10 million by the end of July. What would you prefer, Ambassador? More extreme cuts to council services to account for the loss of Metro revenue, or a government grant to keep the system going during these somewhat extreme times?

(23 Apr 2020, 6:39 pm)markydh wrote Exactly! Not only that, but the government would only agree to a full refurbishment, rather than stock replacement.

And apart from anything else, it’s hardly Nexus’ fault that ridership has decreased by 90% and they will have lost roughly £10 million by the end of July. What would you prefer, Ambassador? More extreme cuts to council services to account for the loss of Metro revenue, or a government grant to keep the system going during these somewhat extreme times?

I seen a copy of the letter that was sent to the government yesterday and saying that furloughing was inadequate.  I would have thought that furloughing all the drivers that are not required due to the emergency timetable would save Nexus thousands, rather than still paying them from Nexus cash and then asking for 10 million.

There are a number of reasons for that to do with driver rotas which have a lot more rules and regs than bus companies are faced with. All that’s changed is that they are currently not relying on overtime (an issue that also affects the heavy rail industry) to provide a core service. If they officially furloughed staff, it wouldn’t take many short notice illnesses to bring the whole system down. There’s also the touchy subject of furloughing public sector workers, which most metro staff are, these days.

You also have to remember that the entire network still has to be maintained, irrespective of how many trains are running. It’s not the same scenario as, say, GNE closing depots and delicensing a large number of buses to limit outlays. They aren’t responsible for maintaining the roads they drive on, either.

Coronavirus: Government to fund 'essential' light rail services

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-52...m2=twitter&at_custom3=Regional+BBC+North+East+and+Cumbria&at_medium=custom7&at_campaign=64&at_custom1=link&at_custom4=039AF4DC-8632-11EA-9804-04DA96E8478F

(24 Apr 2020, 1:48 pm)Michael wrote Coronavirus: Government to fund 'essential' light rail services

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-52...m2=twitter&at_custom3=Regional+BBC+North+East+and+Cumbria&at_medium=custom7&at_campaign=64&at_custom1=link&at_custom4=039AF4DC-8632-11EA-9804-04DA96E8478F

Out of the 30m allocated, the Tyne and Wear Metro got £8.6m


https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-52...6296E8478F&at_custom1=link&at_medium=custom7&at_custom2=twitter&at_custom3=Regional+BBC+North+East+and+Cumbria&at_campaign=64


Others:

The total support package, backdated to mid-March, includes:

Manchester Metrolink - £11.6m
Nottingham Express Transit - £3.7m
Midland Metro - £2.1m
Sheffield Supertram - £1.3m


-------------------------

They say it won't be enough, and they'll see a drop in ridership for months after lockdown.... well

Reduce the frequency?, that'll save some cash......... drop both lines to a train every 15 minutes or even 20 minutes..... least then the trains might bring up less problems.

Not quite that simple. The government have also told them that they will have to run enough trains to maintain social distancing.

(02 May 2020, 4:29 pm)markydh wrote Not quite that simple.  The government have also told them that they will have to run enough trains to maintain social distancing.

True but once things sort its self out, which is god knows when, to save money, drop the frequency - until it picks up again, then they won't be asking for bailouts all the time, it'll only go so far before the government turn around and say no, to more money.

(02 May 2020, 4:50 pm)Michael wrote True but once things sort its self out, which is god knows when, to save money, drop the frequency - until it picks up again, then they won't be asking for bailouts all the time, it'll only go so far before the government turn around and say no, to more money.

How do they make up for the potential short fall in profits, by reducing frequency and by virtue, income?