Lightnews — Scholar-powered news

Almost £100m of promised North East transport upgrades are off track

North East PTUG @northeastptug.bsky.social · 8d

Good that the deplorable state of Newcastle's coach station is being kept in the public eye, and we hope that Newcastle City Council continue to work on a solution to improve facilities for passengers on this vital form of public transport.

Mike Cookson 🔶 🇪🇺🏳️‍🌈🏳️‍⚧️ @mikecookson.bsky.social · 9d

Pleased that the condition of and use of the Coach Station has been brought up at Full Council tonight.

Coaches using John Dobson Street is unacceptable, there's no shelter, no facilities and parked Coaches impact on the ability of local scheduled services to get to the kerb to deploy ramps.

1/2

1 5

North East PTUG @northeastptug.bsky.social · 19d

A huge amount of committed funding, that could transform public transport in our region, is going unspent. As our chair Vicki Gilbert says in this article, it's hugely frustrating for bus passengers that funding for bus priority isn't improving services. www.chroniclelive.co.uk/news/north-e...

Cancelled or delayed schemes mean that huge underspends are forecast on a series of funds allocated to improve bus journeys, cycle routes, and other forms of travel around the North East

Pedestrianising Blackett Street in Newcastle

North East PTUG @northeastptug.bsky.social · 26d

Our Newcastle branch chair Alistair Ford talked to @northeastbylines.co.uk about the future of Blackett Street in Newcastle. With the new HMRC offices on Pilgrim Street almost finished and 7000 jobs arriving soon, the time for pedestrianisation is surely now?

northeastbylines.co.uk/news/transpo...

A discussion on further pedestrianisation of Newcastle City Centre. A new ‘Pilgrim Plaza’?

northeastbylines.co.uk

MP says Stevenage 'paying the price' as LNER set to stop trains to and from London

North East PTUG @northeastptug.bsky.social · 28d

It's the same situation in the North East, with Durham and Morpeth being sacrificed on the altar of faster (and more) trains from London to Edinburgh. We already have very poor local trains in the North East and the new timetable will make them even worse. Sadly, the horse has bolted.

Jim Waterson @jim.londoncentric.media · 28d

If you’re a uk politics/transport/urban policy person (you’re on Bluesky) then the winter timetable on east coast mainline will be such an interesting mess. The public in mid-sized towns slowly realising they’ve been sacrificed for faster London > Edinburgh trains. www.thecomet.net/news/2544425...

Stevenage MP Kevin Bonavia says residents are "paying the price" for LNER's new timetable which is set to stop passengers from Stevenage…

www.thecomet.net

Reposted by North East PTUG

Paul ツ @lf-p.bsky.social · 29d

Will Pop PAYG card readers be installed at Dunston and Metrocentre stations ahead of the December timetable change, which sees Northumberland Line services (which accept Pop PAYG) being extended to Metrocentre on Sundays?

If not it’s going to complicate Pop use further.

1 3

North East PTUG @northeastptug.bsky.social · Sep 9

A bus company has raised some of its fares for the second time in five months. This is obviously extremely disappointing for passengers. We call on bus operators to commit to fixing fares for the foreseeable future to avoid pricing even more people off their services.

www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...

North East bus passengers hit by second fare rise in five months

The cost of weekly Stagecoach bus passes rises between 14 and 18% in five months.

www.bbc.co.uk

North East PTUG @northeastptug.bsky.social · Sep 9

Yes, thank you for highlighting this, Mike. Investment in improvements for Manors would be very welcome, especially on the accessibility front.

Plea for more trains amid warnings villages ‘can’t cope’ with tourist traffic

North East PTUG @northeastptug.bsky.social · Sep 5

We fully support Chathill Rail Action Group on their campaign to improve rail services to rural Northumberland. Instead of dualling of the A1, which will do nothing to reduce traffic in the area, politicians should be focussed on local rail improvements.

www.chroniclelive.co.uk/news/north-e...

A lack of capacity on the East Coast Mainline means smaller stations have very few trains stopping daily

2 8

North East PTUG @northeastptug.bsky.social · Aug 24

It's great that our new @my-metro.bsky.social trains are coming into service, hopefully improving reliability as they do so, but it is such a shame that minor things aren't sorted to improve the passenger experience. We were hoping that air conditioning would fix the problem of baking hot trains...

Paul ツ @lf-p.bsky.social · Aug 23

Apparently we’re on the ‘MASTER’ line, calling at Fawdon 2, Kingston Park 2, and Bank Foot 2…
Earlier we called at “West Jesmon”, (no ‘d’).

9 months on & these simple things still haven’t been sorted.
Where’s the attention to detail?
Does anyone care?

Also, it’s too warm! 😓

North East PTUG @northeastptug.bsky.social · Aug 21

It has been a long time coming, but at our Newcastle branch meeting on Monday we heard that the bus shelters in Newcastle that were deemed dangerous to passengers last year will finally be replaced in the coming months. We hope this will end the problems for wheelchair users.

Mike Cookson 🔶 🇪🇺🏳️‍🌈🏳️‍⚧️ @mikecookson.bsky.social · Aug 18

There will be a 12-16 week period while they are procured, and then there will be a programme to replace the new bus shelters with new new bus shelters.

Which will mean we'll finally be able to get rid of the red and white barriers and reinstate level boarding.

@northeastptug.bsky.social

MPs call for free bus passes for young people to reverse 'decade of decline'

North East PTUG @northeastptug.bsky.social · Aug 14

Bus services need radical transformation to reverse decades of decline. We welcome the new report from the Transport Select Committee and agree with most of their findings. Our chair Vicki Gilbert calls for a bold vision for buses in the North East.

www.chroniclelive.co.uk/news/north-e...

North East mayor has been urged to deliver a "radical" vision to reinvigorate the region's bus network, which has seen a 37% drop in journeys since 2009

Stagecoach North East bus strikes to resume as staff reject offer

Reposted by North East PTUG

SPACE for Heaton @spaceforheaton.com · Aug 13

This images shows all the Stagecoach buses in Newcastle right now, carrying people to work and on other journeys, many of whom will have no other transport options.
sensors.spaceforheaton.com/bustracker

The image shows a maps of Newcastle upon Tyne with many buses shown in their current locations.

2 2

North East PTUG @northeastptug.bsky.social · Aug 12

Stagecoach staff have rejected a 5% pay offer and strikes are back on later this month. We hope that an agreement can be reached before bus users are disrupted by strike action. A reminder that Stagecoach paid dividends of £85.0m in the last financial year.

www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...

Buses in Newcastle and Sunderland will run at a reduced service during the strikes, Stagecoach says.

www.bbc.co.uk

North East PTUG @northeastptug.bsky.social · Aug 11

Excellent thread from Alistair Baldwin celebrating 45 years of the Tyne and Wear Metro, how it was delivered, and the impact it made on transport in the North East. We're long overdue similar levels of investment and in need of a comparable transport revolution for the next 45 years!

Alistair @aebaldwin.bsky.social · Aug 11

Happy 45th birthday to the Tyne and Wear Metro! First paying passengers travelled on this day in 1980. In honour of my local transport system, a bit of a 🧵 about it 1/

A metro train at Haymarket Metro station

Anger as Central Station ticket office replaced by 'deeply unsuitable' kiosk

North East PTUG @northeastptug.bsky.social · Aug 11

After the successful campaign to keep station ticket offices open, it's extremely disappointing that @lner.co.uk have closed the office in Newcastle and merged it into a platform information kiosk. Passengers and staff tell us it's unsuitable. Rethink needed.

www.chroniclelive.co.uk/news/north-e...

A passenger group has criticised LNER's decision to shut the dedicated ticket office at Newcastle Central Station and replace it with a new kiosk next to the departure boards

£2.1 million spent on new metro barriers passengers ask ‘who’s going to pay?’

Reposted by North East PTUG

ChronicleLive - The Chronicle @chroniclelive.co.uk · Aug 7

The first new ticket barriers to be installed on the Tyne and Wear Metro network for a decade should be in action before the end of the year, transport chiefs say. But Chronicle Live readers are not convinced

There have been numerous articles in North East Bylines recently about transport, both past and present. With this and much needed improvements in mind, I asked a recently retired bus driver in the re...

1 2

North East PTUG @northeastptug.bsky.social · Jul 21

Integrated ticketing is a vital part of making public transport easy and affordabe. In the North East 'Pop 2.0', bringing simple contactless payments across public transport, was due Sept 2025. Now funding is being diverted to the Shields Ferry. When can we expect Pop 2.0 @kimmcguinness.bsky.social?

1 2

Reposted by North East PTUG

Kim McGuinness @kimmcguinness.bsky.social · Jul 16

I love the North East- I know you do too. The school hols are a great time to get out and explore our region. ☀️

And we’re making it more affordable to do exactly that.

Kids Go Free on all buses, Metro and the Shields Ferry for the whole summer holidays.⛱️⚽🎨

4 9

North East PTUG @northeastptug.bsky.social · Jul 15

We agree with @msingerhobbs.bsky.social that "what is missing now is political will". In Newcastle, our Labour-led council has removed LTNs and still not spent BSIP funding that would have prioritised sustainable travel in air pollution hotspots. Will the new local plan embrace vision-led planning?

Labour Climate and Environment Forum @lcefuk.bsky.social · Jul 15

🚨 NEW PUBLICATION: Clearing the Air 🚨

Our latest essay collection explores the political importance of clean air for the labour movement — as both a framing and outcome of the government’s ambition for a decade of national renewal.

🧵1/3

1 3

North East PTUG @northeastptug.bsky.social · Jul 15

Tales from the bus driving seat courtesy of @northeastbylines.co.uk, revealing some of the challenges facing bus companies (and passengers) recently.

Our chair, Vicki Gilbert, explains how NEPTUG supports drivers but how the industry requires radical change.

northeastbylines.co.uk/news/transpo...

The secret bus driver

northeastbylines.co.uk

2 3 7

North East PTUG @northeastptug.bsky.social · Jul 14

We fully support the residents of Newcaste Great Park in their opposition the removal of the Q3 from the west side of the A1. The service has provided an attractive public offer for residents of the estate. It demonstrates the deep problem with bus services run for profit by private companies.

ChronicleLive - The Chronicle @chroniclelive.co.uk · Jul 14

Residents of the Newcastle Great Park say that the removal of the Q3 bus service from much of the estate is 'damaging and discriminatory'

Newcastle estate residents demand rethink on bus cuts that 'fractured' community

Biting the Bullet with Butterfly Wings: North East Rail Renaissance - London Reconnections

1 2 3

North East PTUG @northeastptug.bsky.social · Jul 14

With delays to the new station at Northumberland Park, Manors remains the best interchange between local rail and Metro services north of Newcastle. But it really isn't up to scratch! What should be done to ensure Manors plays an important role in public transport on Tyneside? Paul's ideas below...

Paul ツ @lf-p.bsky.social · Jul 2

My (unqualified) thoughts should Manors mainline be redeveloped in future for improved service & accessibility, and presumably increased line capacity too.

Two straight (4-car) platforms beneath/south of Argle St, with long disability-compliant ramps up to the over-bridge. (1/2)

My thoughts for a future redeveloped Manors mainline station.

1 1 3

Reposted by North East PTUG

London Reconnections @lonrec.bsky.social · Jul 10

Biting the Bullet with Butterfly Wings: North East Rail Renaissance: www.londonreconnecti...

The leading source for independent news and analysis about transport in London and beyond. Award-winning coverage of transport infrastructure and politics alongside stories about the history of the Capital's transport networks.

www.londonreconnections.com

2 5

Reposted by North East PTUG

space4gosforth.bsky.social @space4gosforth.bsky.social · Jul 8

Questions about this:
1. Why does this road have so much more freight than others?
2. How does this fit in with climate change targets?
3. Does anyone ever check if National Highways’ claims re congestion etc are met in reality?
4. Why aren’t we investing in rail (safer, greener, very popular)?

ChronicleLive - The Chronicle @chroniclelive.co.uk · Jul 8

The scheme had been approved by the previous Government and paused while Ministers examined Budgets

A66 upgrades approved by Government to improve cross-country route