This is an historic moment in history of Metro
IN her letter last week (News Guardian letters, February 11) Vicki Gilbert failed to mention that the Tyne and Wear Integrated Transport Authority and Nexus have secured £580m to secure the future of Metro – the largest funding package ever won for our light rail system and an historic moment in its history.
This money will allow us to completely refurbish the entire Metrocar train fleet. In the first few years alone it will allow us to refurbish all the stations between North Shields and Chillingham Road, plus Central, as a precursor to modernising stations throughout Tyneside.
It will allow us to renew all the behind-the-scenes infrastructure and technology which we need to provide Metro's 40million passengers with a reliable service – including such issues as sorting out the difficult drainage problem that causes the 162-year-old North Shields tunnel to flood in heavy rain.
It also includes around 230m from the Government to support operating costs. This means Nexus, the public body which owns and manages Metro, can plan for the future with confidence. We will continue to set fares through the ITA and we will specify precisely the level of service, including not only the number of trains per hour but high standards of security, cleanliness and customer service.
Nexus has agreed a private company, DB Regio Tyne and Wear, should operate trains and stations on our behalf, to our specification, to give both the taxpayer and passenger the best possible quality and value for money in return for the very substantial investment we will receive.
This company has an excellent record running railways in London and beyond. We are 100 per cent confident it will help us provide the same high-quality Metro service local people demand, with new innovation and improvements for our customers on the way.
BERNARD GARNER
Director General,
Nexus.
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Saturday 11 February 2012
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