Shields Ferry funding to be decided next week
A project to save the Shields Ferry from being shut down could take a major step forward next week.
A project to save the Shields Ferry from being shut down could take a major step forward next week.
The region’s leaders are poised to give their final approval to fund the building of a new ferry landing in North Shields that will safeguard the service’s future.
Transport officials have spent years trying to find the cash needed to replace the ferry’s existing north jetty, which is in a state of disrepair, with a new one closer to the North Shields Fish Quay.
As the cost of the scheme spiralled and previous funding was lost, there were fears that the river crossing’s future could be under serious threat before North East mayor Kim McGuinness committed to saving it last year.
At a meeting in Sunderland next Tuesday, the North East Combined Authority’s cabinet is due to formally agree to invest £8.2 million from a recently-approved funding allocation from the Government’s City Region Sustainable Transport Settlements (CRSTS) into the ferry landing project.
That cash will complete a £12.8 million pot, which also includes £4.6 million of unspent funding from the dualling of the Metro tracks between Pelaw and South Shields, that will then be handed to ferry and Tyne and Wear Metro operator Nexus, with hopes that work can commence swiftly.
Construction on the new landing is expected to start in 2026, following the appointment of a contractor, and the scheme is among a raft of transport upgrades that Ms McGuinness has promised will be delivered by 2027.
Other planned investments, which the mayor said this week will make up the £208 million first phase of an £800 million programme over the next three years, also include:
£8.9 million towards the rollout of mobile and smart ticketing between Metro and local rail services;
£2.1 million to install new security gatelines at Metro stations;
£3.5 million worth of safety and accessibility improvements, including improved bus stops across the North East;
100km of better walking, wheeling and cycling infrastructure – including a route from St Mary’s Lighthouse in Whitley Bay to Blyth, a new link between Washington and the Northern Spire bridge in Sunderland, improvements on the National Cycle Network between Jarrow and Hebburn and active travel upgrades in Gateshead to the MetroGreen development site; and
£6.5 million to improve “sustainable access” across the river Tyne between Newcastle and Gateshead.
Ms McGuinness, said: “For too long we have put up with an inadequate transport network which is in urgent need of investment. Today I am pleased to confirm £208m of projects that I will deliver by 2027, revitalising our transport network and providing a more accessible, safer and better-connected system which will greatly benefit local people.
“I’m proud to confirm that I will fund a brand-new Ferry Landing in North Shields, the roll-out of smart ticketing on Metro and local rail, new gatelines to improve safety – especially for women and girls on our Metro system, £23m in funding for County Durham, 100km of better walking, wheeling and cycle routes, extra electric vehicle charge points and safer, more accessible bus stops and stations.
“I have been clear from the outset that I will invest in our transport system to create more opportunities for local people and I am delivering on that promise. I have bigger, longer-term plans for our region and we’ll be investing more in due course but this initial £208m is the first phase of a major £800m capital investment programme which we will roll-out over the next three years to revive our network, and improve public transport and active travel for all.
“We are rolling up our sleeves and getting on with the job at hand of investing heavily in transport to reverse the decades of under investment in the North East.”
Cathy Massarella, Managing Director of Nexus, added: “We welcome today’s funding announcement from the North East Mayor, Kim McGuinness. This will provide vital investment into a range of key transport projects.
“We are currently focused on working through the detail of how these schemes will be delivered and will continue to work closely with the North East Combined Authority.”