Transport North East

[markydh]

Transport North East
With moves to form a North East Combined Authority set to be sent to the government for approval later this year, I feel it is appropriate to create a new thread regarding what this will mean for public transport. In short, the Tyne and Wear ITA will be disbanded next year with it's functions transferring to the North East Combined Authority. For those that don't know, the includes all Tyne & Wear authorities along with Northumberland and Durham. For an as yet undefined transitional period, the latter two councils will retain their own subsidised bus route powers but overall strategic transport planning will pass over to the combined authority. After the transitional period, the Combined Authority will assume all publiuc transport functions (likely to be administered by an enlarged NEXUS).

This is important as next week, the Tyne & Wear ITA will be making final decisions on whether or not begin formal consultations on a Quality Contract scheme at a special meeting on Friday 26th July. You can read the report that will be discussed using the following link...

http://democracy.newcastle.gov.uk/docume...y.pdf?T=10

The Quality Contract would only apply to Tyne & Wear itself, but, with the Combined Authority assuming overall control of the scheme, it will make it substancially easier to make cross-boundary ticketing arrangements. The public transport industry in the North East is about to enter a potentially game changing couple of years given it's almost certain the ITA will decide to pursue Quality Contracts, at least for now.