Tunnel work costs spiral over budget
BILL FOR REFURB MAY BE £10M MORE THAN EXPECTED
TWO Scottish football fans have been fined for drunkenly hurling racist abuse at passengers on a train to Newcastle.
Scott Lang and Paul Muir have been ordered to hand over almost £2,000 after appearing at Newcastle Magistrates’ Court.
Lang, 27, and Muir, 30, had been watching Scotland’s match against England in Glasgow on June 11 last year. The following day, the men boarded a train to Newcastle which was busy with supporters from both teams.
The men staggered through the train drinking neat vodka and Jack Daniels from the bottle, while chanting racially abusive songs at England fans in each carriage.
They were arrested and were each charged with racially aggravated public order.
Lang pleaded guilty while Muir pleaded not guilty but he was found guilty at court.
Muir was ordered to pay a £660 fine, £650 costs, £100 compensation and a £66 victim surcharge. Lang was given a £160 fine, £85 costs and a £30 victim surcharge.
PC Wayne Brown said; “The behaviour was completely unacceptable.. Trains are not extensions of football terraces.” Reporter THE troubled project to refurbish the Tyne Pedestrian and Cyclist Tunnel looks set to overspend by almost £10m, the Chronicle understands.
Work to renovate the Grade II-listed tunnel, which got under way in 2013, was originally expected to cost around £6m.
But a confidential report discussed at a meeting of the North East Combined Authority’s (NECA) overview and scrutiny committee on March 15 included the startling revelation that spending on the work has spiralled.
It’s now believed the renovation could cost in the region of £15.8m and money will be drawn from the Tyne Tunnel’s reserves to cover the increase outlay.
The news comes days after the reopening date was pushed back yet again due to “engineering conditions and contractual problems”.
A report in September 2017 said it was on course to reopen in spring 2018 but NECA have now accepted it won’t happen until the end of the year.
Work to overhaul the historic tunnel, which opened in 1951 at a cost of £833,000, has been beset by problems.
It’s the latest episode in the troubled effort to get the route back up and running.
The discovery of large quantities of asbestos has slowed things down, and construction firm GB Building Solutions went into administration midway through the work.
A NECA spokesperson said: “The overview and scrutiny committee has considered a report about works at the Tyne Pedestrian Tunnels.
“The committee discussed the project and also noted the recent announcement for the tunnel to reopen has been put back to autumn.”