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Metro extension plans revealed at public events

Jason Arunn MurugesuNorth East and Cumbria
News imageBBC A yellow, black and grey Metro train at Pelaw station. There is an M logo on the front of the train and windows and doors all the way along it. People are getting ready to board the train. There is a dome shaped shelter further along the platform.BBC
The cost of the Washington expansion has so far been estimated to be £900m

Detailed plans for the expansion of the Tyne and Wear Metro - including the route, new stations and road changes - are to be shown to the public at a series of events.

The £900m scheme to add a line through Washington was unveiled June 2025 and it is hoped trains will start running along it in 2033.

Metro operator Nexus has revealed proposed locations of three new stations, some of the road changes involved and plans to cross the River Wear via the 188-year-old Victoria Viaduct.

The company is holding 14 public events across the region in September so residents can learn more about the plans and give feedback before the scheme is finalised.

Nexus managing director Cathy Massarella said: "If people are struggling to get there in person, there is an also an option to provide feedback online through the Nexus website."

News imageNexus Satellite map showing th proposed Metro extension route between Pelaw and South Hylton. A red line runs south from Pelaw through Follingsby, Washington North and Washington South before turning east to South Hylton. There are numbered markers along the route.Nexus
The expansion connects the Metro to Washington and Follingsby

The 13km expansion will follow the old Leamside Line from Pelaw to the River Wear, with two new stations built in Washington and one in Follingsby.

Nexus has proposed locating one of its Washington stations in the Sulgrave area of the town and the other near the Fatfield, Columbia and Teal Farm districts.

The third would be built near Follingsby Lane, but the names of the stations have yet to be decided.

News imageGoogle The tall brick Victoria Viaduct photographed from the path below. The viaduct has a series of arches and fencing at the top. Trees and shrubs run under it.Google
No trains have crossed the Victoria Viaduct for 35 years

Multiple road and rail alterations will be required for the new route, including installing a new track at Pelaw, diverting the A1290 over the railway in Washington and building a new A19 underpass.

Nexus also plans to run trains over the Grade II* listed Victoria Viaduct in Washington.

Built in 1838, the structure closed to passenger trains in 1964 but continued to be used for freight transport until 1991.

It has not been used for trains since.

News imageNexus An artist rendition of one of the road proposals for South Hylton station, with new additions added to an aerial image of existing houses, roads and landscape.Nexus
There are two options for the roads around South Hylton station

After crossing the viaduct, trains will run on a new line south of Coxgreen Road towards South Hylton.

Nexus has come up with two options to maintain permanent vehicle access to properties located north of the railway at South Hylton, both of which would see a new road built and the existing station move further to the east.

The first option involves building a new road connecting Railway Terrace to St Luke's Road via a tunnel, while the second involves upgrading Keelman's Road underpass and routing cars via Keelman's Lane and Claxheugh Road.

Drop-in event dates

A total of 14 consultation events have been announced as follows:

  • Tuesday 1 September: Washington Millennium Centre, Concord, 16:00-18:00
  • Saturday 5 September: Washington Arts Centre, Biddick Lane, 13:30-16:00
  • Monday 7 September: Wardley Fitzgeralds, 12:30–16.30
  • Wednesday 9 September: Tansy Centre, South Hylton, 13:30-16:00
  • Friday 11 September: Teal Farm Pub, 13:30pm-16.30
  • Saturday 12 September: North East Land, Sea, Air Museum, Washington, 11:00-14:00
  • Tuesday 15 September: Sunderland College, City Campus, 17:30-19:00
  • Wednesday 16 September: Washington Arts Centre, Biddick Lane, 10:00-13:00
  • Saturday 19 September: The Galleries, Washington, 10:30-13:30
  • Tuesday 22 September: Columbia Village Community Centre, Washington, 17:30-19:00
  • Wednesday 23 September: Tansy Centre, South Hylton, 10:00-12:00
  • Friday 25 September: Pelaw Metro Station, 08:30am–10.30 and 17:00-19:00
  • Saturday 26 September: The Bridges shopping centre, Sunderland, 10:30-13:30

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