Efficient and effective public transport is critical to delivering our vision of Tyne and Wear as an area where all residents have access to a more prosperous, safer, healthier and more sustainable lifestyle in a more attractive environment.
We believe that:
"High quality public transport in Tyne and Wear is an essential component of delivering the shared priorities of tackling congestion, delivering accessibility, safer roads, better air quality and contributing to other major quality of life issues, such as economic growth."
Tyne and Wear has a very strong public transport base. More people in the region use either light rail or bus to travel to work than is the norm for Great Britain as a whole - and car ownership is significantly lower than the national average.
We are committed to ensuring that public transport in Tyne and Wear offers an attractive and viable alternative to the private car, whereby people use bus, Metro or rail not merely by necessity, but more importantly by choice.
During the last 5 years, a variety of investment projects have been implemented to support this aspiration. This investment includes major projects such as the Metro extension to Sunderland, CentreLink, the Stephenson Link, Quayside Transit (QuayLink), the Four Lane Ends Interchange and Park Lane Interchange, as well as investment in Hetton Interchange and new ferry landings at North and South Shields. Our vision for the future is to adopt the high standards of these new facilities as a benchmark for service provision across the entire Integrated Transport network.
However local research has revealed even more needs to be done to ensure public transport provides an attractive alternative to the car. This consultation reveals that, first and foremost, people want public transport that is reliable.
Other priorities are a frequent service that is comfortable, convenient, affordable, safe and designed around their specific journey requirements. Users, and potential users, perceive that the current public transport system may not offer them a seamless door to door journey that will provide a level of convenience (and confidence) able to compete with the car. Personal safety and security are also crucial.
Our vision for further improvements in public transport service and provision will be informed by investigations into improving workplace travel planning and reviewing current parking policies across the region. We will also be mindful of any information provided by the analytical studies that form part of the recently successful Transport Innovation Fund bid.
Superoutes
Buses are at the heart of our local transport system, carrying 80% of public transport passengers in Tyne and Wear. During 2004/05, there were 134.3m bus boardings in the region.
As with other parts of the country, bus use in Tyne and Wear has been in long-term decline. We wish to reverse this trend by delivering a step change in the quality of bus services to meet the aspirations of existing and future passengers. Superoutes are the key to this strategy.
The Superoute network is made up of high-quality routes on key corridors, guaranteed to meet stringent quality standards, overseen by a dedicated partnership board that comprises representatives from each of the partner organisations and the main bus operators.
Agreed Superoute Standards
The Superoute passengers’ charter agreed by the partners (Nexus, Go North East, Arriva, Stagecoach and the five local authorities) promises:
Reliable services all day every day – at least every 30 minutes 0700-2300 Monday to Saturday, 0930-2300 Sunday (Operators)
Timetables to change no more than once a year (Operators)
More bus priority measures and accessible bus stops (Local Authorities)
Better connections with other bus services (Operators)
All buses on Superoutes to be low-floor, low emissions vehicles (Operators)
Bus shelters to be provided at 90% of stops by 2006 (Nexus)
Service information to be provided at all stops where practicable (Nexus)
Drivers trained in NVQ customer care (Operators)
Investment by bus operators in low-floor, fully-accessible vehicles for Superoute services (over £33m has been spent on new buses) is complemented by local authority investment in modern bus stops and interchanges with shelters and detailed timetable information at stops. This is accompanied by highway improvement measures to ensure that services operate reliably and that passengers can easily board.
The current network of 40 Superoutes covers about 40% of the bus network in Tyne and Wear and 48 million passengers per year use Superoute services (around 36% of all bus trips). Our aspiration over the next five years is to increase the network to at least 60 routes.
There has been encouraging growth in patronage numbers on Superoutes, with 14% more passengers being carried in the first quarter of 2006 compared to 2005, despite one route being withdrawn. This forms an encouraging background for further planned investment in new vehicles and bus priority measures. A bus Punctuality Improvement Plan is being drawn up to address the issues that can lead to delays and unreliability, whilst Superoute audits are also being carried out on key corridors to ensure that the promised standards are being delivered.
The Government has recently set out new proposals for the future direction of bus policy. Their document, "Putting Passengers First", can be downloaded here (file size 1 Mb)
Re-Invigorating Metro
Maintaining and improving the Metro system will be critical if we are to reverse the decline in the number of journeys made by public transport in Tyne and Wear.
Serving all five districts of Tyne and Wear and connecting with bus, rail and air services, plus several popular Park & Ride sites, Metro is a very important component of the region's overall transport infrastructure.
The Metro system is now approaching its theoretical 30-year design life and requires significant improvements to infrastructure, engineering systems and rolling stock over the next 20 years. In particular, some of the structures on the network are over 150 years old.
A 20-year re-invigoration strategy has been developed for Metro to create a high-quality system for the future. There are three basic elements within the strategy:
· An evaluation of all aspects of the existing Metro system to ensure that current operations, maintenance and commercial practices can be shown to be meeting local objectives and providing value for money;
· An assessment of assets to examine the condition, potential lifespan and replacement costs for each key element. This has provided a "Do Minimum" business case, allowing the "like for like" replacement of life expired infrastructure, engineering facilities and rolling stock over the next 20 years;
· In parallel, through market research and examining best practice on similar systems, a "Base Case" business plan has been prepared which provides passenger focused initiatives to create a significantly improved travel environment through improved stations, passenger facilities, ticketing and fares systems and safety and security measures.
A shorter-term plan (consistent with LTP timescales) has been drawn up for significant investment in new ticketing machines and gates, improved depots, plant and buildings, permanent way, structures, signalling, telecoms and overhead line renewal, Metrocar refurbishment, major station improvements (including escalators, signage and DDA requirements) and track dualling.
The formal bid to fund Metro Re-Invigoration, at a cost of £600m, was presented to 10 Downing Street on 23rd January 2007.
In the shorter-term, we aim to improve bus/Metro interchange facilities, develop further Park & Ride opportunities and reduce fraudulent travel. An early measure of success is that fraudulent journeys on Metro fell by 1 million during 2005/06. There has also been encouraging growth in fare-paying traffic, with over a million more people using Metro in the first nine months of the current financial year 2006/07, compared to 2005/06.
This has been accompanied by a 6% rise in evening traffic, reflecting the investment in safety and security measures to give travellers greater confidence when using the system at these times.
For further details about the Metro system, and a system map, go here.
For more information about Metro Re-Invigoration, go here.
Coaches
Coach travel is an efficient and economical mode of transport whether in the form of scheduled long-distance coach services or tourist travel. It plays a valuable role in reducing social exclusion by providing affordable personal travel for groups such as the elderly, students and people on low incomes. Low fares and city centre pick-up points attract a different segment of the market to domestic rail or air travel.
The only purpose-built coach station in Tyne and Wear is the National Express facility in Newcastle. This modern station opened in Spring 2003 and has benefited from the major project to develop St. James’ Boulevard (shown right), 
implemented during the first Local Transport Plan. We recognise, however, that there is a need for improved signage and upgraded pedestrian links to the site.
The growing status of Tyne and Wear as a short break tourism destination is resulting in a greater number of coaches visiting the area. Unfortunately, both Wearside and Tyneside have a shortage of parking areas, drop-off points and rest facilities for drivers. Bus stops are often used instead, causing potential conflict with bus services.
What we want to achieve
Consultation with the Confederation of Passenger Transport (CPT) highlights these priorities:
•Clear and consistent signage for parking facilities
•Reasonable access to pick-up and drop-off areas
•Ownership of coach-related issues at a local authority level
•Coaches to be allowed access to all bus lanes
The CPT stresses that coach operators are more likely to promote destinations where decent facilities exist for coaches and their passengers. The economic vitality of Tyne and Wear will directly benefit from increased volumes of coach traffic.
The Cross-Tyne Ferry
A ferry service across the Tyne between North and South Shields has operated since the fourteenth century. The current cross-Tyne ferry, which operates every 30 minutes, continues to provide a vital link for residents on each bank, connecting to bus and Metro services on either side of the river and linking the important centres of North and South Shields for shopping, employment and leisure trips.
Usage of the Shields Ferry has recently increased after a number of years of decline. This welcome increase appears to be a direct response to the implementation of the "Stephenson Link" dedicated bus service (Route 19).
Through timed connections with Route 19, major employment sites on the A19 corridor are now easily accessible to jobseekers resident on South Tyneside. Facilities for ferry users have also been improved by the provision of new ferry terminals on both banks (the new terminal at North Shields is pictured right) 
and by the recent order for a new ferry (soon to be introduced to service) which should improve reliability.
For details of ferry services and timetables, please go here.
Rail
As the former home of George Stephenson, the "Father of Railways", Tyne and Wear has a proud railway history. Today's passenger rail network is centred around Newcastle and comprises the:
• East Coast Main Line (ECML);
• Tyne Valley Line to Hexham and Carlisle; and
• Durham Coast line to Sunderland and Teesside
The ECML carries mainly long-distance services, currently provided by Great North Eastern Railway, Virgin Trains and First TransPennine. 
Within Tyne and Wear, the Newcastle to Sunderland rail line is fina
ncially supported by the PTA and operated by Northern Rail. This service carried 956,000 passenger trips in 2004/5. Hourly trains call at Heworth and Sunderland only, before continuing south to Hartlepool and Teesside. Between Pelaw Junction and Sunderland, tracks are shared with Metro services in a pioneering arrangement that is unique in the UK.
The Tyne Valley line between Newcastle and Carlisle is important for commuter traffic into Newcastle and for cross-country links to Cumbria and south-west Scotland. It is an important freight artery and a valuable diversionary route when the direct Newcastle-Edinburgh section of the ECML is closed for maintenance. Passing close to Hadrian's Wall, this scenic route is also popular with tourists.
More than 5.4 million passenger trips by rail take place each year to and from the main centres of Tyne and Wear, reflecting the importance of the rail network as one of the conurbation’s regional gateways. 
Rail, like Metro, is unaffected by road congestion and, by transporting people who would otherwise travel by car, can make a major contribution to congestion reduction. Rail patronage between Durham, Chester-le-Street and Newcastle has increased significantly over recent years, and a major factor in this pattern of behaviour is the disparity in journey times between rail and road resulting from congestion on the approaches to Tyneside. The LTP Partners aim for similar growth on the Morpeth and Hexham corridors.
Recent developments include the introduction of a fleet of new trains on the Virgin and First TransPennine routes serving Newcastle and the major refurbishment of the heavily-used MetroCentre station in 2006.
We will continue to work closely with rail operators and neighbouring authorities in identifying opportunities to improve and expand services.
For National Express East Coast services, go here
For Virgin Trains services, go here
For Grand Central Train Servicies, go here
For TransPennine Express services , go here
For Northern Rail services, go here