The Tyne and Wear Metro has had a further £7.6m of financial support from the Government in order to increase the number of trains on the network.

This extra funding will allow the Metro to return to normal timetables and provide passengers with a COVID-Secure environment.

Funding announced over the weekend builds on the previous support of £8.6m announced on the 1st May 2020.

This now means that the government has supported the Tyne and Wear Metro with a total of £16.2m to help support key workers.

Chief Operating Officer at Nexus, Martin Kearney, said: “This new financial support will allow us to run a full Metro timetable and maximise the room we have for social distancing on the system. It means that we can meet all of Metro’s running costs up until August at this challenging time, where Metro fare revenue has fallen significantly.

Martin continued “As lockdown measures are gradually lifted, we will continue playing our part in supporting the local economy, but we are conscious that social distancing measures mean that it will be a long time before we return to normal passenger numbers. We will continue to talk to the Government about the need for additional financial support for the remainder of the year at the very least.”

Cllr Martin Gannon, Leader of Gateshead Council and Chair of the North East Joint Transport Committee, said: “We welcome this funding which, in addition to the amount already pledged last month, will allow Metro to run a full service until August. However, we will continue talks with Government over support for Metro for the remainder of the year as we look to keep a full service running to maximise space on trains, allowing passengers to observe social distancing guidelines as lockdown measures are gradually eased.”

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