The North East has been promised a “revolution” to radically overhaul struggling rail and bus services blighted by cancellations and delays.
As Northern mayors and transport bosses assembled in Newcastle on Monday, passengers across the region were told that the incoming £4bn devolution deal for the North East could help deliver vast upgrades – including reopening a critical mothballed route, seizing control of the bus network and slashing ticket prices. Much of the talk from local leaders at Transport for the North’s (TfN) annual summit focused on the long-running campaign to restore the disused Leamside Line between Gateshead and County Durham, something Labour’s shadow transport secretary confirmed her party would deliver if in power.
But the gathering came amid mounting outrage over the country’s ailing train services. It was held a day after rail fares were hiked by more than five per cent despite months of misery for passengers, while many attendees struggled to make it to the conference at the Crowne Plaza Hotel on time because of the latest raft of cancellations on TransPennine Express (TPE) trains that should have been bringing them from places like Leeds and Manchester.
