North East Mayor will bring the Metro to Washington

North East Mayor Kim McGuinness has vowed to expand the Metro to Washington as she announces over £8.6m to kickstart the development of plans. 

The Mayor has also renewed her call for the Government to re-open the rest of the Leamside Line and announced funding to start business case work to move the project forward. The northern section of the Leamside Line would be used to create the new extension to the Metro – known locally as the ‘Washington Metro Loop’.

Often described as the most important piece of transport infrastructure for the economic future of the region, the Leamside Line’s re-opening has unified support from local communities, cross-party politicians and the business community, but remains unfunded.

On a visit to the site of the disused Leamside Line today (Wednesday 10 July), the Mayor told transport officials that the reopening of the railway was a top priority for her. 

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.

North East Mayor Kim McGuinness, said: “I pledged in my manifesto to bring the Metro to Washington and that’s exactly what we will do. It’s clear to see that re-opening the Leamside Line will allow us to reconnect our isolated communities to the Metro and local rail network which will be transformative for local people.

“For too long we’ve been held back by a lack of national funding to kick start our infrastructure. That won’t happen under my watch. We want to build the greenest and best-connected transport network in the UK so it’s time to get to work.”

The reopening of the Leamside Line is being planned in three phases: 

• the ‘Washington Metro Loop’ - using the northern section of the Leamside Line to bring the Metro from Gateshead to Washington, connecting with South Hylton
• ‘Leamside South’ - the southern section of the line connecting Washington and Sunderland to the East Coast Main Line (ECML) rail link
• and Ferryhill Station in County Durham - which would connect on to Teesside. 

Subject to Cabinet approval, £8m will be used to develop an Outline Business Case for the Washington Metro Loop – a major project which will provide full information on proposed stops and stations, economic impact data and estimated costings. The business case is being prepared by Nexus and will be completed by spring 2026. 

Alongside this, a further £0.6m 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. 

The Mayor confirmed the funding as she visited part of the old track at Follingsby. It is estimated that the Washington Metro Loop alone would generate at least £90m per year in economic benefits for the region, replacing 1.7m car journeys a year and reducing carbon emissions by 87,000 tonnes annually.

Leamside South, which runs in parallel to the ECML, was previously used as a diversionary route for the ECML and there are hopes that it would do so again if re-opened, removing slow moving freight trains from the congested national link and therefore freeing up greatly needed capacity which will benefit the whole country.

She added: “It’s been 60 years since passenger services stopped running on the Leamside Line and we can’t wait 60 more before our communities get the connections they desperately need. We will get to work on the detailed business cases for Leamside Line projects, while I continue to press for funding, both national and local. 

“Re-opening the Line will allow us to extend the Metro to Washington - the fourth largest town in the UK without a direct rail line - and to connect communities with poor public transport links like Fencehouses in Tyne and Wear and Ferryhill in County Durham. It will also free up the East Coast Main Line by diverting slower freight trains onto the Leamside Line – this would allow our national rail services to grow for the benefit of the entire country.

“Walking along the line today you get a real feel for its potential - with stops, stations and park & ride sites in the future connecting even more of our communities to major employment sites and education and training opportunities. High quality integrated transport is a priority for me and I'll make sure we fund the first stage locally to get this moving at speed.” 

Cllr Martin Gannon, Cabinet Member for transport and Leader of Gateshead Council, said: “Efforts to re-open the Leamside Line have gone from strength to strength over the last 12 months and I’m pleased that we will be putting forward the funding needed to get the important business case work underway. 

“This marks the biggest funding award to date for the Leamside Line project which of course includes extending the Metro to Washington. The Mayor and Cabinet are unified in this ambition and we are determined to deliver this major strategic priority for the region. The Mayor will fight for our region to secure the funding we desperately need to re-open the Leamside Line and I look forward to supporting her on this vital project.”

Cathy Massarella, Managing Director at 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.”