METRO LOSING CLOSE TO £1M A WEEK
■ Passenger numbers drop by 90% ■ Fears over service being mothballed
The North East would be sent “back to the ice age” if transport bosses were forced into mothballing the Metro during the coronavirus crisis, a council leader has warned.
As the struggling rail network loses close to £1million a week after passenger numbers dropped more than 90% and still without any promise of any government support, there are mounting fears over the system’s future.
Transport bosses say they need a £10million bailout from ministers just to keep the Metro running until July, but the Department for Transport has yet to pledge any funding despite more than a month of negotiations – though there are reports that a deal may now be close.
There were warnings on Tuesday from metro mayor Andy Burnham that Manchester’s Metrolink tram system could be temporarily shut down because of a similar cash crisis, and Gateshead Council leader Martin Gannon fears having to do the same to the Metro would have “catastrophic” consequences.
However, it is understood that latest negotiations between Metro operator Nexus and the government have been “productive” and that an unprecedented mothballing of the service is not being contemplated yet.
Metro trains are currently running to a reduced timetable to help NHS staff and other key workers get around.
Coun Gannon, who chairs the North East Joint Transport Committee, said: “If the Metro is mothballed it would be a disaster for the Metro and catastrophic for the regional economy.
“It is such an integral part of the region’s economic infrastructure that they might as well turn off the electricity and send us back to the ice age.”
The council leader added that the Metro’s struggles will not be over once the worst of the pandemic has passed, as bosses predict health fears will mean passengers are less likely to return to crowded public transport.
While the government has bailed out private rail and bus operators, no money has been offered to the Metro or similar local rail networks.
In a letter to Newcastle North MP Catherine McKinnell on Monday, transport secretary Grant Shapps said he has, as a matter of urgency, ‘asked officials to work up further details of the impact of the revenue shortfall as a result of the coronavirus.’