(31 Oct 2021, 7:16 pm)54APhotography wrote The reality nobody will accept is that the Leamside was on the table long before this pointless fund was devised. Side swiped deliberately meaning no more capacity on the ecml therefore adding to their desire to end HS2 at Manchester. Without the line this region is finished, no net zero, no serious investment. Buses are not the answer to this region's problems, rail is. This is typical of voting Tory, and this region will pay a heavy price for that.

I lived in Washington for most of my life, so know how long it has been campaigned for, and also the disappointment when the successive Governments have failed to act.  

The line would provide so many benefits; not just to the ECML capacity, but also to be able to create the Wearside loop of the Metro and even allow Nissan to transport by Rail freight rather than diesel HGVs. Follingsby is also an expanding business park at last, and the amount of jobs Amazon has created there would be an ideal opportunity for a Metro station. It's literally in the perfect place.