I received a call from ITV local news today wanting to interview me for a piece they are running tonight on “extending the Metro to Ashington”! I carefully quizzed the researcher as to his source documents which seemed heavily dependent on a piece on the Chronicle Live website posted today. This in turn is based on a paper going to the North East Combined Assembly (NECA) board on Tuesday night. I established that neither source says it will be Metro to Ashington, both make it clear that the link to Ashington will be via the heavy rail route via Benton Junction. So I did the interview which was duly aired as the lead piece on the local news, but part of a wider piece on Metro expansion, which those of us at the last but one Railfuture North East branch meeting will have recognised from the NECA “future vision” presentation. Nevertheless, confusion still reigned in the ITV piece since after having interviewed me at Bedlington station they then went out on the street asking people “What do you think about Metro to Bedlington?” Just to be clear, SENRUG has no issue as to how the trains are branded or who runs them, but we believe strongly the shorter heavy rail route from Newcastle to Northumberland Park must be taken. NECA and as far as we know Northumberland County Council are on the same page. But just about everyone else is getting mighty confused.
