Tees Valley Metro
| Tees Valley Metro | |
|---|---|
| Overview | |
| Type | Metro, Commuter Rail |
| Status | Project cancelled by Government in 2010. |
| Locale | Tees Valley Region |
| Services | Line 1 (Darlington via Middlesbrough to Saltburn) Line 2 (Hartlepool to Nunthorpe Parkway) |
| Technical | |
| Track gauge | 1,435 mm (4 ft 8 1⁄2 in) standard gauge |
The Tees Valley Metro was a project to upgrade the Tees Valley Line and sections of the Esk Valley Line and Durham Coast Line to provide a faster and more frequent service. In the initial phases the services would have been heavy rail mostly along existing alignments. The later phase would have introduced tram-trains to allow street running. The project was backed by all the local authorities through which the system would have run, the authorities are: Darlington, Hartlepool, Middlesbrough, Redcar & Cleveland and . Support was also forthcoming from the Department for Transport. The project has been cancelled due to lack of funding. Focus is now on Northern Rail franchise. Of the original "Tees Valley Metro" project, only the construction of a new station at James Cook University Hospital has come to fruition.
The proposed initial routes would have used sections of the Tees Valley, Esk Valley and Durham Coast Lines. There were no current plans as to the interoperability of the continuing services and the new metro services. This would have been considered at the next stage of the process. Several new stations will be built along the routes in two stages. After stage two additional routes using street running may be considered.
The project was planned to be delivered in two phases, with the first phase split into stages.
Initial work was proposed to be complete by December 2012 and would have included:
These improvements were estimated to cost £30 – 40 million.
The second stage of Phase 1 was due to be completed in December 2014.
The cost of these improvements was estimated at £50 – 60 million.
This phase included improvements to the Esk Valley Line between Nunthorpe and Middlesbrough, and on the Durham Coast Line between Middlesbrough and Hartlepool; new stations at Morton Palms, Middlehaven, The Ings and Nunthorpe Parkway were also proposed, and a further reduction in journey times between Darlington and Stockton.
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