(08 Sep 2015, 1:19 pm)MurdnunoC wrote The Sunderland to Newcastle line fell under the remit of the PTE due of the lack of Metro provision. It was always intended to make that section of line (including stations) part of the network...eventually.Appreciate we are getting way off topic like...
The whole getting the Metro to Sunderland and subsiding both post and pre-privatisation always puzzled me.
I get why the PTE may have wanted to fill the lack of Metro provision to Sunderland, but I don't understand why the lack of provision there, was covered by PTE funding, but West Gateshead (who also have a lack of a Metro), didn't get similar.
Obviously the original idea, was to reinvigorate the original suburban railway that existed and link them together, via the underground section - with buses feeding into the interchange points (the original NE hub and spoke?) and not crossing the river.
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Would it not have made more sense, to make Blaydon an Interchange, with trains running into Newcastle - just as they did and still do, from Wearside?