Why Doesn't the Metro Go to the Metrocentre?

[@aidanwright5035]

I've always thought of a fanciful extension from St James out to the west end and under the river in a tunnel. I know this will never happen but it's sometimes just fun to dream.

[@MidtownSkyport]

I would've loved that back when I lived in Fenham :)

[@Matty12333]

Probably won't happen in the North East, it's the forgotten land. If it was London it would have been built decades ago

[@jakefox589]

In 2020, Nexus was planning to expand the metro to metrocentre by this year but it was delayed due to covid.

[@trainlover16]

I’m thinking exactly that. With intermediate stations serving Arthurs Hill and Benwell. And the Metro doesn’t have to stop there. It could continue to Whickham and go all the way to Beamish and Chester-Le-Street, before linking up with the line at South Hylton to create another big loop.

[@TruckinAboutWithSteve]

impossible

[@Trafficlightsfan]

Its strange how Tyne and wear metro reminds me of the old Morrisons logo from 2005

[@safcforme]

"The Metropolitan county of Tyne and Wear' was formed in 1974 and the Metro centre and indeed Metro radio both took their name from this new county which replaced (parts of) Durham and Northumberland.

[@jimboll6982]

Born in Northumberland , remain North Umbrian, not a ATyne and weary one.

[@safcforme]

Yep I understand your loyalty. It's a moot point now anyway as Tyne and Wear no long longer exists

[@jimboll6982]

@@safcforme Some one has forgotten to remove the signage?

[@safcforme]

@@jimboll6982 More likely just not cost effective Jim

[@nixcails]

I think Metro radio was more to do with being the local radio for Southern Northumberland and Most of County Durham not just Newcastle so didn't discriminate against Durham, Sunderland, Gateshead As for the Metrocentre back in the 1970's and 1980's I suspect they thought the same use the word metro to appeal to the whole urban area rather than just one location.

[@johnsbone]

One day, in the summer of 1980, a man calling himself "Mr Hall", rang my humble office, in the old library off the back lane behind the old Gateshead Town Hall, and asked about how he could start to make the Building Control application, for his self-named "metro centre", a large commercial complex, of indoor shopping, restaurants, where-house-style retail units, car parks, a new railway station (on the Tyne railway line - Newcastle-to-Carlisle), a new bus station, (future) offices, and a (future) hotel, so I calculated the likely building control fee, and after telling him would to be, agreed to post (first class) him the application forms and the guidance notes on new commercial buildings. He was surprised that he did not need "council" permission for the proposed new railway station (just British Rail - that was to become another long story). When I asked him, why had I not seen the "Town Planning" application - his reply was "oh, I don't need that the site is going to be a "Riverside Enterprise Zone" - I asked what is that? he told me that the then Government was gong to announce these "No Town Planning consent required" & "No Business Rates for 10 years" free enterprise zones, real soon.) When I asked him the site address and he confirmed it was the large derelict site next the then (FM) Radio Metro studio, alongside the then very new A1 dual-carriageway. I also asked so it is backed by Metro FM ? No, he said, but clearly everyone knows where Radio Metro is so that is why I am calling this complex that,... I checked his phone number and his postal address (as I half-felt it was "joke-call" from a "con-artist"). As who the hell would be going to spend the claimed 5 million pounds on new shops, etc. in Gateshead. I typed out the letter confirming the fee and rang the "Mr hall" back to check I had his address right. And bless him he answered the phone himself. As I (a lad born in Gateshead) knew nobody who listened to "Metro FM" knew where the Metro Radio Station was down next to the river Tyne. The English National Government announced their new Riverside "Enterprise Zone" a few months month later, in 1981. My initial conversation was in the middle of 1980, and phase one of the Metro Centre opened in 1986 (with the temporary bus station). Now that we will have the new "777 class" Metro Cars, with their battery options, the options are again more open.

[@alfiestewart6312]

My mates tried to get to the MetroCentre on the Metro. Despite how much I told them they were definitely sure that the Metro went there (why's it called the Metro Centre then). Ended up going around the whole Metro all day while they tried to find the Metro Centre.

[@edificity]

See this is exactly what I mean

[@jimmyc00l]

considering theres a map at every station, your friends might be idiots.

[@alfiestewart6312]

@jimmyc00l they don't think to check the map. They got on the metro and started wondering where the MetroCentre was. They were adiment that it existed. Their excuse was - "We divint live in Tyne and Wear do we"

[@Dunno683]

Lmao how did they even know what platform to go on without looking at the map

[@alfiestewart6312]

@@Dunno683 they're dense as anything. Don't go anywhere with them 🤣

[@simonn2045]

A metro line would relieve a huge amount of traffic and congestion around it. There is still a vague long term plan to expand the metro line but it'll all be a dream.

[@markdickson3820]

Whilst I think huge shopping centre’s prime days have past, the MetroCentre is still an important destination in the Northeast. I really think a line reopened down to Consett first passing through the MetroCentre makes sense with all the new houses/estates I see around there when I visit family. So many of those people are commuting into Newcastle/Gateshead/Washington and the shut down of the line to Consett was a shortsighted mistake like so many of the cuts were. It obviously would also link in Annfield Plain and Stanley and if being really future looking it could be a semi circle and continue on to Lancaster and Durham (another place with Chester-Le-Street that should have a metro link). I know they’ve looked into part of this idea and unbelievably the selfish nimby brigade has already collected signatures to oppose their pretty little park/path for horse rides or whatever being partially turned back into a rail corridor but a) people complain about literally everything these days and we’ve built precious little in this country for 2 generations now and are now in a desperate position and b) it would obviously cost money but also encourage investment into the area. Infrastructure projects are almost always good in the long term with only a few exceptions (China & Spain building high speed lines to every corner of their countries may be a rare exception).

[@trainlover16]

I’ve always thought the metro should be extended to the metrocentre from St James, with intermediate stations serving Arthurs Hill and Benwell. And the Metro doesn’t have to stop there. It could continue to Whickham and go all the way to Beamish and Chester-Le-Street, before linking up with the line at South Hylton to create another big loop.

[@Messier42-handle]

honestly i think chester-le-street is a bit of a stretch

[@trainlover16]

@@Messier42-handle I don’t think so.

[@Messier42-handle]

@@trainlover16 its a cool concept but its just too far off. the metro already is an hour both ways, its gonna be forever going down THERE. not to mention they just flushed all their budget on the new stadler untis

[@trainlover16]

@@Messier42-handleI see.

[@m4tty_j]

The new Metro trains will have the ability to run on non-electrified rail for a short while, using a battery. So they could in theory use the mainline from Gateshead Stadium Station, along to the MetroCentre via Dunston.

[@Messier42-handle]

god id love a dunston connection. it could even pull a sunderland and run alongside the BR routes

[@lanky_legs]

I've wondered that for years "Why doesn't the Metro go to the MetroCentre" I'm glad your video answered my burning question because for a long time, it has been bugging me and I thank you. But I will still dream that one day the Metro might extend to the MetroCentre

[@firestarter1888]

I remember Granny trying to buy a ticket going to the Metro at Gateshead station for the Metro Centre in 1990 and the astonishment on her face, was really something to behold, when she was told we would have to get a bus. We then proceeded to sit in a traffic jam for approx 90 mins, and again on the return, I of course was devestated at not being able to ride the thing for the fist time, being obsessed with trains, that I was. So later in life I looked into it a bit more and cannot remeber the source, but I think the plan initially was to connect the Metro Cente to the Metro, but just as all of the post world war 2 Tynside urban infrastructure projects preceeding it, and after, it seems that absolutley zero thought had gone into how those projects would materialise in reality.

[@Tez_Thorn1405]

The only logical reason i can think of is that the Metro in Metro Centre is short for either Metropolitan, or Metropolis

[@edificity]

That tracks... but if they really went with that it makes 0 sense for an out-of-town mall!

[@Tez_Thorn1405]

@@edificity agreed

[@xr6lad]

🤦‍♀️. Jesus have we brought up a generation of people with no brains. It’s called Metro Centre because it’s in the Metropolitan area!!! Bleeding obvious it’s nothing to do with the Railway.

[@Jademalo]

Imo, they should electrify and intergrate the mainline from Gateshead Stadium up round past Gateshead Quays and through to Dunston over the Tyne Valley line. Gateshead quays with it's new giant white elephant of an arena will be a pretty obvious place to have a stop in a few years, and that would naturally flow over towards the tyne valley line. The sunderland section runs with mainline trains too, so it's not like that's a dealbreaker. I still think they need to do the loop from pelaw to South Hylton over the leamside line first, though.

[@STOTTINMAD]

R.I.P metroland. Hard to believe some kids nowadays will never know it even existed.

[@Messier42-handle]

i didnt know it existed. god i am pissed i didnt get this. it looks incredible

[@tooleyheadbang4239]

@@Messier42-handle You might 'get it' when you've sobered up!

[@jackyli3542]

You get a train to the Metro Centre from Newcastle Central station- they run every 15 mins

[@EdMcF1]

Worked in an office overlooking the Metrocentre a few years back, it was only rammed in the week when the teachers were on strike.

[@awesomotommy]

Blew my mind as a 12 year old in 2003 when I found out the metro didnt go to the metro centre 😂

[@TruckinAboutWithSteve]

Metro is the name as its a Metropolis of a place. Nothing to do with transport at all. The metro is the name for the type of light railway it is named after the original london underground company the metropollian.

[@acfbrown1]

I think a metro connection south of the Tyne to Gateshead would make the most sense so there's better access for people south of the Tyne in Gateshead, Jarrow, Sunderland and South Shields etc. I don't know if the existing Tyne Valley line could be used or not.

[@neilflood6508]

....... or anywhere in West Newcastle. I would have thought an extension into the west of the city from St James' would have been a possibility.

[@edificity]

Unfortunately the city council wilfully allowed student accomodation to be built with foundations that now block the possibility of extending straight west from St James. Any tunnelled extension would need the station to be moved and reconfigured so unfortunately it looks less likely now than ever

[@jimmytraveller2970]

The Student accomodations Can be Demolished to make Progress The West End would get the most Riders@@edificity

[@dat581]

There seems to be an old railway formation that heads West out of Newcastle Station on the North Bank of the Tyne. It largely runs along the A695. At the Eastern end tunneling into the current system would be straight forward and the Western end would require little more than a bridge over the Tyne. It could be done relatively cheaply. As long as there is a mainline station right next door I could not see it happening.

[@moramento22]

That's exactly the railway alignment he means at 04:36. Scotswood Road is A695.

[@sophizoey]

Regardless of how the metrocentre is doing, given where I live (just in the suburbs south of the metrocentre) it's a huge transport hub for me, a 5 minute bus ride and I'm on any bus or train to where I could possible need to be, but it would be even more convenient and open up so many more employment opportunities for me if the metro was also a possibility. But there's so many logistics - where would the station go. The obvious place they would want to put it would likely be under the bus station so it can act like Gateshead interchange, but the likelihood would probably be with the national rail station creating a Sunderland-like situation only above ground.

[@dorsettyke]

I wonder....with the demise of "physical" shopping are the chances of a link getting worse? Are Shopping Centres losing tenants and shoppers just like traditional High Streets?

[@moramento22]

Actually no. It's the opposite. It seems like new stores are opening in both Metrocentre and Eldon Square on regular basis and it's the High Street that is dying. We're not in America's territory yet where they have abandoned shopping centres.

[@ABTrainsYT]

Shame they couldn’t just extend from St James towards MetroCentre with an intermediate stop or two if possible. Looking at the map, the distance isn’t too large compared to the small chunk of the TVL (Newcastle Carlisle route)

[@florenciavideos]

It's a shame that such an interesting city with so many attractions has such outdated and stagnant public transportation. It's no wonder everyone relies on cars for everything here. In times of global warming, climate emergency, and 'green alternatives,' there's nothing better than investing in public transportation as a green option. But it's not just about improving public transport; it needs to have a fair price that encourages people to use it. The northeast of England has so much potential, but it seems like a place forgotten in time and abandoned by its own population :(

[@MarkHewitt1978]

You say 'short of using the Tyne Valley line' but that is exactly how it would be done, same as how the extension through Sunderland uses the Durham Coast line for a stretch. But there are two issues, one being there is no connection to existing Metro lines at Central Station or anywhere inbetween, just running a Metro shuttle would be pointless unless it linked up to the wider network. Second it isn't worth the bother just going to the Metro Centre, it would have to serve stations beyond, much like how the Metro doesn't stop at Sunderland but continutes to South Hylton.

[@TheUntypicals]

Its because of under investment in North East transport

[@cybertenchi82]

A metro extension to the MetroCentre will never happen. From all the footage I've just seen, that place is on its backside. I used to be there every afternoon as my parents had a barrow in the blue mall in the 90s, between what was Future Zone/Electronics Boutique and a record store I can't recall the name of and it was ALWAYS busy. The modern MetroCentre is a zombie shopping complex, I'd be surprised if it's still even a thing in 10 years time. Why waste money on an extension to future wasteland?

[@moramento22]

I can't wait for the day when I'll be able to read the Metro on the Metro while heading to the Metro... centre

[@jonwoodmass2849]

MetroCentre is most likely a derivative of metropolis or metropolitan

[@Daniel37parker]

It was named after the council, Gateshead metropolitan borough council. Metropolitan shortened to metro. Gateshead council helped host an exhibition to show off the proposed development.

[@edificity]

That makes sense, but I still don't understand why you would go with that when the light rail had taken the name only years earlier

[@Daniel37parker]

@edificity ohh I absolutely made that up haha, honestly it's what I always thought it was from but no evidence to support it lol, but the council did help host an exhibition for the proposed development back in the late 80s my dad was their.

[@JesterEric]

It was also the name of the Metro center mall in Phoenix USA. That was the largest mall in the USA when opened in 1973

[@richgl31]

Still a vital shopping and social hub, but the rents must be extortionate as there are so many empty spaces there. Surely more can be done to encourage some other big brands to move in?!?!

[@rich_devoto]

Wasn't there talk of turning upstairs into flats?

[@0kimbc28]

Great vid! You have a good journalistic style.

[@Trafficlightsfan]

0:01 Almost looks like a Morrisons Supermarket Exterior

[@Matty12333]

Metro centre is a strange place, it's a huge building but hasn't got much range of shops. There is no John lewis, Selfrages etc. No supermarket inside, apart from M&S foodhall. places like Westfield Stratford in London seems more happening

[@jimboll6982]

West field is relatively new compared to metro, so your coment is dumb. Have you any Greggs in Westfield? Ahhh can you answer that? Bet the cultural enrichment is makigits mark though

[@mattyrobyn1225]

@@jimboll6982there is a greggs in westfields.

[@omarbaba9892]

It’s stupid how many important places the metro cuts out. It doesn’t go here, the team valley or even Washington

[@MidtownSkyport]

I always wondered that when I was a kid. And there's Metro FM , too

[@simonbone]

Metro Radio went on the air in 1974, about a year after the Tyne and Wear Metro had been approved, so the radio station's name might have possibly been inspired by that of the forthcoming light rail system. Metro Radio's original studios were very close to where the MetroCentre would be built, so I always wondered if that had been the inspiration for the shopping mall's name. So: Tyne and Wear Metro > Metro Radio > MetroCentre.

[@edificity]

That's an interesting theory!

[@Behappy62]

You can get a train from central station the Carlisle train to metro centre

[@tooleyheadbang4239]

So you spend all day shopping, with a break for lunch, walk out with a load of boxes and bags, then suddenly remember "Oh sh*t! I haven't got a car...".

[@stdkx1]

I had some thoughts about the Metro link to the Metrocentre before as I had a countless amount of experiences on some sort of 10 minute bus ride to and from Newcastle which I sometimes think about the Metro link that could take around 5 minutes to get to Metrocentre but at the same time, this would be a costly thing.

[@edificity]

It would be so useful. Where would you run the line (if money wasn't an issue)?

[@stdkx1]

@@edificity I'm note entirely sure but I have some options though.

[@bencoatesworth7731]

Don’t forget the x66 metro shuttle from Gateshead metro to the metrocentre.

[@markbolam1383]

you could just buy a few classs 158 brand it as metro and there you go you have your metro link

[@321gj]

RIP Metroland.

[@XxAIRLINxX]

There was a train that did or does goto the metro centre atleast it did when I was a kid..

[@tooleyheadbang4239]

The one in the video, perhaps?

[@Dimewick21]

Sooo, there is frequent train service, just mainline, not on Metro.

[@SeanMidlandstransporthub]

Great video! Liked and subbed

[@scotthutchinson7606]

Absolutely love this!!!

[@aoilpe]

Could it be the Retail Holding “Metro” ?

[@DanBen07]

Is it called Metrocentre because the Council was called Gateshead Metropolitan Borough Council

[@edificity]

Ooh that's a possibility I hadn't thought of

[@GBDT]

Could well be. When the Tyne & Wear County Council came into being in 1974, the 5 councils it covered became Metropolitan Boroughs. 'Metro' became the in word for a time and Sir John Hall decided to call this new, large shopping and entertainment centre the Metro Centre using this fashionable name. Gateshead Council didn't want the Metro Centre as they new it would wreck their town centre area. The Metro Centre was built in what was called an Enterprize Zone which was a government created zone which allowed firms to be there without paying rates or applying for planning permission.

[@FateBoost]

So why is it called metro centre?

[@bobatwell7505]

There is the Newcastle/ Carlisle line which stops there . Pointless having a metro line .

[@Urbaburble]

Another nice video and great use of the word 'dreich'. A YT first?

[@edificity]

Maybe a first in a non-Scottish urbanism video :D

[@david_porthouse]

I noticed that as well and I’m not Scottish. It’s just not appropriate to the area.

[@edificity]

@@david_porthouse Really? I know plenty of people in the North East who use the word

[@thewestoe0ne]

In Latin Metro means = Go Forward.

[@david_porthouse]

Metro-polis = Mother-city, whence Metropolitan Railway or Metro for short. A Metrocentre is presumably the mother of all shopping centres.

[@ohsohotyes]

They need to make a metro link for west of newcastle (rowlands gill/burnopfield/consett) to access town. It takes nearly an hour on the bus from these area to get into town and only 10-15 mins by taxi, and often the busses dont even show up. Would be great if they turned derwent walk back into a tain/metro line, but the precious little hikers and bikeriders have allready collected signatured to opposde it.

[@megamooon1]

Because there is no track leading there

[@redsidebiker]

It doesn't get that far 'cos its a Metro. The sump plug fell out and dumped the engine and gearbox oil everywhere it had been!

[@NorthEastTrailRunner]

The Metro Centre really isn't worth visiting nowadays.

[@andymcguigan7238]

They would take revenue away from the northern trains , plus metros are to unreliable haha 😂

[@savingforvapormax]

Just get the metro to Gateshead and walk don’t be lazy

[@rich_devoto]

Only 1 hour 6 minutes according to Google Maps! I'll get my brolly.

[@savingforvapormax]

@@rich_devoto I’ve walked more than that

[@rich_devoto]

@@savingforvapormax well so have I but not to go shopping 🤔

[@jarraandyftm]

No point now. Half of it’s boarded up.