In parts one and two we saw how the 1960s dream of Newcastle being a motorway city slowly began to unravel as the reality of protests from residents and a worsening economic situation in the 1970s slowly outpaced the idea. Another reason why the motorways dream (or nightmare) faded was because it was decided to concentrate resources on getting a rapid transport system established, including underground sections in Newcastle.
So, how was the Metro established and was it all plain sailing? My thanks again to Peter Morris for kindly making his writing from the 1970s and 1980s available to me.
First stirrings
The importance of public transport was first highlighted by Peter Morris on 20 November 1972, when he was able to report that, “more than 100,000 old and disabled Tynesiders are to get free bus travel.”
However it was on 18 December 1972 that we got the first mention of the proposed Metro system, with the news that the rapid transit was getting what was described as a £49 million go ahead. It was noted that the government had that day approved Tyneside’s rapid transit plans and promised a grant of £49 million. The news was welcomed by Dr. Tony Ridley, director of the Tyneside Passenger Transport Executive as ‘a great boost for the Northeast’.
The very next day, 19 December 1972, Morris stated that, “construction work on Tyneside’s £65 million rapid transit system will bring up the 2000 jobs to the area.”.
The rising cost of the Metro soon became clear, however, it was reported on 1st February 1973 that the Tyneside Passenger Transport Executive was confident of getting as much as £65 million for the Metro. Its cost was to go up a lot more as time went by as we shall see.
The need for better public transport on Tyneside was highlighted the following month on 7 March, when it was reported that John Marley schoolboys were said to be arriving up to two hours late to school because of erratic bus services in the west end of Newcastle.
The first snags with the Metro
On 24 April 1973, the Metro was reported to have hit its first major snag, as it was said that there were concerns about the siting of one of the underground stations in Newcastle. This was followed on 22 June by similar concerns that rapid transit tunnels might destabilise new buildings in Newcastle City Centre.
However, transport bosses ploughed on with the development of the Metro. On 24 July, it was noted that the Tyneside Metropolitan Railway Bill for what was now the £65 million rapid transport system had been passed into law and so seemingly the last obstacle had been removed.
Indeed, just over a week later, on 1 August 1973, it was reported that tens of thousands of visitors to the Tyneside Summer Exhibition would get the chance to see what was described as travel on the Super trams in the 1980s would be like. Then on 24 September a Supertram report was said to be pointing the way ahead.
1974: Mounting concerns
However, it wasn’t to be long before problems arose again, as on 4 January 1974 it was reported that the rapid transit system may face delays due to a government squeeze on council spending.
It was noted that yet more money would have to be found for the Metro, as Morris reported on 5 April that, “special facilities for the disabled are to be provided at least four of the underground stations on the planned Tyneside Metro system. Facilities like lifts and ramps at Haymarket, Monument, Central and Gateshead stations will add £500 000 to the cost of the £65 million system”.
The concerns over the Metro increased further on 21 May, with the assertion that Newcastle faced years of disruption due to work on the Metro. Indeed it was suggested on 13 June that the Metro works would cause traffic disruption in Newcastle city centre, but “not as much as the motorway had”.
Regarding the cost of the Metro, it was reported on 12 July that Tyne and Wear ratepayers could make savings in 1975 from a reappraisal of the costs of Metro. However, this meant that the Tyne and Wear Passenger Transport Executive would not be able to spend as much on Metro during 1975-6 year.
Public transport was reported on again on 12 September 1974, when it was announced that there would be a scheme to encourage more people to use buses with unlimited travel for four weeks for £6.
Near the end of the year, on 19 December 1974, it was announced that the North East was to get £29 million in transport grants in 1975.
1975: Even more backlash
That the cost of the Metro had leapt again in early 1975 was amply demonstrated on 14 March 1975 when Morris wrote in the Evening Chronicle that, “Tyneside’s £114 million Metro may be a failure. That’s the fear haunting Newcastle councillors because car parking facilities may be ‘grossly inadequate’”.
Another major threat to the Metro being developed came in the form of railway workers being unhappy about the changeover from railway to metro This was mentioned on 26 June 1975, with the news that unions were threatening trouble over the threat that a £2,800,000 subsidy for rail lines may be withdrawn.
The threat was emphasised again on 11 July, with Morris writing: “The immediate threat to the Tyneside Metro and existing local rail services was lifted today after two hours of talks between councillors and union leaders. The danger will be renewed however, if railwaymen continue their blacking of the £143 million Metro for many more months. Mr Russell Tuck, assistant general secretary of the National Union of Railway Men advised the men again today to call off the blacking”.
There was some good news on 17 September, that the Metro may get EEC cash aid, amounting to hundreds of thousands of pounds.
1976
1976 began with the news on 9 January that what was described as “four months of hell on the A1 Metro dig” would make traffic problems in Gosforth even worse than they already were. This was added to by news on 5 February about “traffic disruption due to building of £150 million Metro”. And three months later, on 21 May 1976, readers were notified of Gosforth residents being told that the snarl-ups must go on.
The problems around industrial action were mentioned again on 14 May 1976 with the news that the cost of the blacking of the Metro by railwaymen was now costing almost £1mn a month. Ten days later, on 24 May, it was noted that workers on the now “200 million Metro walked out after what was described as a “work harder” row with their bosses”. The situation became so serious that the following month on 21 June, the National Union of Railwaymen chief was said to be calling for an end to the blacking of the Metro.
The saga continued however. On 30 June, Morris reported that, “a gilt-edged guarantee of jobs security emerged today which could end the Tyneside Metro deadlock.” Yet only six days later on 6 July he was writing: “Settle now – or there will be no Metro. That was the blunt warning given in London to trade union leaders at the centre of the £200 million dispute”.
A tragic accident
There was one particular tragedy while the metro was being built, when two workmen were killed and it was reported on 13 July that firemen who dealt with the Metro tunnel fire in April when the two men had died had no pressure warning that work was being done in pressurised conditions.
Progress?
Back to the dispute and on 26 July, Morris wrote that, “no progress was made in ending the dispute which has halted work on the £200 million Tyneside Metro when Transport Minister Dr. John Gilbert met Labour Party members and trade union leaders in Newcastle this weekend”. Following the long hot summer of 1976, on 7 September, it was noted that Tyne Wear officials were to make another attempt to settle the dispute over the now £200 million Metro with 500 jobs said to be at stake.
Indeed, the following week on 15 September Peter Morris noted that, “Tyne Wear Council is to send a deputation to the Transport Secretary in a bid to get approval for Metro contracts”, while the next month on 12 October he wrote that, “the Tyneside Metro could be back on the rails soon after two vital meetings in the next six days. Go it alone action by members of the National Union of Railwaymen is likely to signal the end of the unofficial blocking of the Metro, within the next 24 hours”.
Two days later on 14 October, it was reported that the blacking of the £200 million Metro system may be all over within the next seven days, with a hoped for major breakthrough in the nine-month long dispute. These hopes were seemingly dashed, when on 19 October Morris wrote that, “worried transport chiefs were heading back to Tyneside today to start two weeks of hectic activity, aimed at saving the £200 million Metro”. They had been given a 14-day ultimatum by Transport Minister Bill Rodgers, to come up with assurances on the cost of the system and union co-operation.
Comment
It is hard to realise now just what a roller-coaster ride getting the Metro up and running really was. We look back now and are tempted to think that it was plain sailing, as support for the motorways fell away and the new Tyne and Wear Council put its support behind the new rapid transit scheme. Clearly, it was more complicated than that. In the end it might have simply been that once work had started it would have been very difficult to write off the money already spent by abandoning it. As we shall see in part four that was mentioned. We shall also see how the rolling out of the Metro to more areas and the development of the ‘great little system’ into a great big system’ was prevented almost as soon as the Metro finally did get opened.
CLICK HERE TO DONATE TO OUR CROWDFUNDER
HELP US BECOME STRONGER SO THAT WE CAN CONTINUE TO DELIVER POWERFUL CITIZEN JOURNALISM!
