NE Mayor steps in to halt Metro price rises
North East Mayor Kim McGuinness has stepped in to delay planned fare rises on the Metro for three months
North East Mayor Kim McGuinness has stepped in to delay planned fare rises on the Metro for three months in the wake of major disruption due in a large part to the closure of the Gateshead Flyover.
The failure of the flyover in late 2024 effectively severed the Metro system in half after structural issues on the aging flyover - which runs directly over a Metro tunnel – meant it was unsafe to run trains through that section of track for almost two weeks while protection was put in place.
The increases to Metro fares, which normally take effect on 1 April, have been delayed by the Mayor until 1 July in recognition of the impact on passengers.
The move was agreed by the Mayor and North East Combined Authority Cabinet today (28 January 2025) as it agreed its budget for the 2025-26 financial year.
Kim McGuinness, North East Mayor, said: “I want to see a better Metro service. I’ve been very clear with Nexus about that but I know passengers have not seen that improvement happening, in large part due to the severe disruption caused by the closure of Gateshead Flyover and the impact that had on the tunnels below.
“With this in mind it would not be the right thing to increase fares in April as has happened in previous years. People should not be paying more when they have had less. I have made the decision to delay the new fares coming in until later in the year. This way I want to give something back to passengers and show how serious we are about a better service.
“I know any increase to fares is unwelcome and we have worked with Nexus to keep these to an absolute minimum. Every penny people pay to use Metro goes into running the system, and we must make sure it does not end up starved of cash. In the meantime I want to remind people that if they switch to Pop Pay As You Go they really can save money – with Pop prices being roughly the same as a paper ticket was five years’ ago in 2020.
“I am also determined we will make sure Nexus keep improving services and get the new trains in as fast as possible, and that we all work to make travel safer, more affordable and better integrated so that more people feel confident to choose to travel on our public transport network.”
John Fenwick, Director of Finance and Resources at Nexus, said: “Our fare proposals for 2025/26 will see discounts for PAYG customers maintained, offering a saving of up to £1.60 a day with a Pop card, or using the product via an Android smartphone.
“If customers switch to PAYG this year, they will be paying the same prices as paper ticket holders were paying between January 2020 and April 2021.
“We also plan to freeze fares for young people, which meets region-wide ambitions to make public transport more affordable for them.
“Some fares do need to increase in order to help us address the challenges of higher operational costs which are increasing at 5.1% heading into 2025/26. In light of this, we are putting forward a balanced set of proposals.
“In consultation with the North East Mayor, Kim McGuinness, we are proposing to implement the fare proposals from 1 July 2025 rather than the usual 1 April. Holding back the changes recognises the exceptional disruption caused to customers at the end of 2024 when the central Metro tunnels under the Gateshead flyover were closed at short notice for 10 days affecting journeys across the whole network.
“Metro is a public service and doesn’t make a profit, so we require Government support, alongside the revenue that we generate from fares, to keep the system running.”
Measures approved by Cabinet include:
• Application of an average increase of RPI inflation + 1% based on July 2024 rates (3.6% + 1%);
• Continuing to encourage a move away from paper tickets to Pop Pay as You Go, offering customers a cheaper way to travel;
• Simplifying the product range by removing the Junior Blue smartcard and keeping young people’s single tickets frozen at £1.
• Increasing Gold Card prices to £15 per annum, the first rise for a decade;
• Increasing Park & Ride prices for the first time since 2021
• In addition, ferry fares are also proposed to increase by 4.9%, also effective from 1 July 2025 and the price of concessionary products for young people in Tyne and Wear will be frozen at 60p for a single and £1.10 for a CAT all day ticket (eligible with an Under 16 Pop Card).
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