(26 Sep 2015, 12:36 pm)GX03 SVC wrote DBTW have priority between Pelaw Junction and South Hylton, DBTW services have probably gone t**s up hence 'congestion on the line'.
Are you sure?
I regularly get the 1532 Metro from Gateshead to Sunderland and both this and the Northern Rail train get to Pelaw for around 1540. In all of the times I've used this particular journey in the past seven months, the Northern Rail train has always gone through first (even when the Metro departs Pelaw before the Northern train comes close). It's annoying because the Metro can be sat up at the top of the junction for up to 4 or 5 minutes.
I can only cast my mind back to one occasion where I was on a late-running Northern service and it got stuck behind a Metro, which delayed it even further.