New station puts work in reach
Mar 17 2008 by Paul Loraine, The Journal
METRO operator Nexus is opening its 60th station today.
The £3.2m Simonside station will provide passengers five trains an hour in the direction of South Shields town centre, Gateshead and Newcastle.
It was part-funded by the EU’s European Regional Development Fund, which contributed £800,000 towards the cost.
The development of Simonside station forms the first part of ambitious plans for the future of the Metro service, with Nexus looking to spend £600m on modernising the system over the next 20 years.
Nexus estimate that around 500,000 journeys will be made through the new station in its first year.
Director General of Nexus, Bernard Garner, said: “It’s an historic occasion for us to be opening our 60th Metro station.
“The new £3.2m station at Simonside is a huge boost for people living in the local area, especially those who don’t have a car and rely on Metro to get around.
“This new station is just the beginning of our £600m plans for Metro reinvigoration and some exciting times lie ahead for Metro passengers as we look to modernise the entire network.
“Work is already underway at Haymarket and at Sunderland station and the funding is already place to replace all of our ticket machines with ones that accept bank notes and credit cards and to install electronic ticket barriers.”
Meanwhile, the Mayor of South Tyneside, Coun Tracey Dixon, said: “I’m delighted. The new Metro station is going to be a fabulous asset for the local community, not only for people living in Simonside but for those who live in the surrounding areas as well.
“Five trains an hour towards South Shields and Newcastle will be of huge benefit to many hundreds of people who rely on the Metro to travel around every single day of the week.”
Nexus and the Tyne and Wear Passenger Transport Authority are still in the process of bidding for £600m for the reinvigoration of the Metro system.
Funding for phase one, £13m to be spent on around 250 new ticket machines and electronic ticket barriers, is already in place and is due to be delivered in 2010.
Coun Michael Clare, South Tyneside’s lead member for environment, housing and transport, said: “We’re delighted at the opening of this superb new Metro station, which will provide a vital transport link for the people of Simonside and beyond.
“The Metro system is both reliable and efficient and the new station opens up a lot of possibilities for our residents.
“It allows them to take advantage of job opportunities across the region, improves access to exciting leisure and lifestyle facilities and will benefit the Borough’s environment by reducing car journeys. The station can also act as a catalyst for our ambitious plans to regenerate the Simonside area.”
