A new public transport system through the West End of Newcastle could “breathe new life” into the area, Newcastle’s outgoing council leader hopes.
There have been tentative suggestions for years of expanding the Tyne and Wear Metro or building a new tram line to serve a part of the city crying out for major transport upgrades, without any of those ideas becoming a reality.
Metro operator Nexus is now set to launch a study into new links between Newcastle city centre and the Campus for Ageing and Vitality (CAV) at the old general hospital site in Westgate Road, which itself is set for a £500m regeneration under plans to be considered by councillors this week.
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Council leader Nick Forbes expressed hopes on Monday night that the idea could finally act as a launching point for a system that would extend further out to serve communities along the West Road that are currently cut off from any kind of train service.
At a cabinet meeting at which he announced his intention to stand down and leave Newcastle politics in May, the Labour councillor said: “I hope that can be the first part of a new transport system extending further into the West End of the city.
“As we know, parts of the East End and the North of the city are well-served by the Metro as well as buses, but there is no comparable public transport system in the West End and Outer West and people are much more reliant on buses.
“Looking at some kind of new transport link there to bring passengers to and from the CAV and hopefully breathe new life into the West Road would be hugely welcome.”
Draft plans back in 2014 suggested the creation of a “NewcastleGateshead Metro street tram operation” that would run down the West Road and then across the Tyne to the Metrocentre and Team Valley, though this never progressed to a concrete proposal.
When the original Metro network was designed, provision was made at St James’s station for future westward extensions underground, but major construction around St James’ Park has made such a prospect highly unlikely.
Another option for the West End would be to use the original Carlisle line out of Newcastle Central station to run trains parallel to Scotswood Road.
A Nexus spokesperson said: “In the immediate future we’re making sure the Centre for Ageing and Vitality does not lose out as commercial bus companies cut routes and frequencies as their Government funding is cut.
"Transport North East’s Metro and Local Rail Strategy, which has just been published, identifies west Newcastle among areas which could benefit from new fixed link public transport.”
The agreement to launch a new study into the potential for new links to the West Road was made as part of a deal for Newcastle City Council, as well as other Tyne and Wear authorities, to increase its funding to Nexus amid a huge financial crisis caused by the pandemic.
That deal also included a commitment to protect bus services in the outer west, consider how a reduction in bus fares could increase passenger levels, and prepare illustrations of new bus stop locations should the pedestrianisation of Blackett Street go ahead.
