Plans to bring the Tyne and Wear Metro to Washington have moved a step closer.
North East Mayor Kim McGuinness has announced over £8.6m of funding to kickstart the development of the project.
On a visit to the site of the disused Leamside Line the Mayor said that that the re-opening of the line was a top priority.
A report will be presented to the North East Combined Authority’s Cabinet in July in which £8.6 million is recommended to be allocated to develop business cases for the Leamside Line - including the Metro extension to Washington - part of a string of new investments in transport and the largest funding award to date for the Leamside Line project.
The business case is being prepared by Metro’s operator, Nexus, and will be completed by the spring of 2026.
Cathy Massarella, Managing Director of Nexus said: “The Washington Metro Loop will be truly transformative, enhancing access to employment opportunities, education, healthcare and leisure activities for the people of Washington. This funding will enable Nexus to develop a detailed business case and marks a really positive step forward in the project.”
Subject to Cabinet approval, £8m will be used to develop an Outline Business Case for the Metro extension to Washington – a major project which will provide full information on proposed stops and stations, economic impact data and estimated costings.
Alongside this, a further £600,000 will be used to commission a new Strategic outline case for the next phase - Leamside South - marking another new milestone and further progress towards the line’s re-opening.