(Image: Nexus)
A major step towards bringing Metro services to Washington is set to a North East town is set move forward, with residents being invited to help shape plans for a long-awaited rail extension.
Fourteen engagement events will take place in September across Washington and nearby communities, giving people the chance to review route options, proposed station sites, and ask questions of the project team.
The 13km extension to the Tyne and Wear Metro system, with three proposed new stations and which would run along the northern section of the former Leamside Line, is a key part of North East Mayor Kim McGuinness’s vision for an integrated regional transport network.
Ms McGuinness said: "We’re bringing the Metro to Washington and I want local people to be able to ask questions and make comments on our plans for the route and its stations at events throughout the area this September.
"We have already started work on what will be the first new Metro line for 30 years and a key part of our vision for the Angel Network, a world class transport system for local people.
"Metro to Washington is about more than public transport, it is about how we help local people into jobs by making it easier and more affordable to get around – whether that’s people from Washington or travelling to the town for factories in and around Nissan.
"The route has been surveyed by engineers to identify possible locations for three new stations and I want to share that with local people to see what they think."
The sessions will be hosted by Nexus.
Attendees will be able to review the latest proposals, ask questions, and offer feedback on the extension.
Paul Welford, major projects director at Nexus, said: "Following the feasibility study earlier this year, we are excited to share the latest proposals through a series of drop-in sessions.
"This builds on the public engagement events we carried out last year.
"We are committed to listening to local people and ensuring their views help shape the project as it develops.
"We are already in discussions with landowners that could be impacted and want to engage with more members of the wider community.
"The format will be informal drop-in sessions, so that people can pop in and speak to us on a one-to-one basis.
"We’re keen to listen to as many views as possible."
Metro to Washington will be the first new Metro line for 30 years when it opens, providing a new route between the cities of Sunderland and Newcastle through Washington.
Proposed station locations include Follingsby, Washington North, and Washington South.
Events will begin on September 1 at Washington Millennium Centre in Concord from 4pm to 6pm and continue through the month at venues including Washington Arts Centre, Wardley Fitzgeralds, and the North East Land, Sea, Air Museum.
A full list of engagement sessions is available on the Nexus website.
The outline business case for the project will be completed at the start of 2027, and it is hoped the first Metro trains on the new line will run in 2033.
Earlier this year, social value workshops were held to gather views on the broader benefits the extension could deliver, including job creation, training, business opportunities, and environmental improvements.
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The Metro to Washington project would run along the northern section of the former Leamside Line.
It forms part of a wider ambition to re-open the railway line in full in the future.
More information, including project updates and opportunities to join the mailing list, can be found at nexus.org.uk/metrotowashington.