Seaburn Metro re-zoning plan would be a kick in the teeth for passengers fed up of terrible service & should be axed
Liberal Democrats in Sunderland are urging regional council and transport bosses to permanently scrap a plan to change the fare zone at Seaburn Metro station which could mean passengers there will see a bigger hike in fares than anywhere else in Tyne and Wear.
Councillors on the North East Combined Authority's Transport Committee yesterday (14th January) approved plans to increase ticket prices on the Metro from April 2022.
However, a plan to re-draw the zone boundary on the Tyne and Wear Metro that would see passengers from Seaburn face higher ticket prices to travel into Newcastle was put on hold pending further consultation with local people - after Lib Dem campaigner Malcolm Bond accused Nexus of treating residents in Fulwell and Seaburn as a cash cow.
A change to the zone boundaries would mean Seaburn station moving from being in both zones B and C, to just being in Zone C - increasing ticket prices for people going from Seaburn into Newcastle as they have to travel through more fare zones than they currently do.
Sunderland's Liberal Democrats are now calling for the paused proposal to be axed.
Commenting, Lib Dem campaigner for Fulwell and Seaburn Malcolm Bond said:
"Pausing the decision on changing the fare zone boundary at Seaburn Station is welcome. Transport bosses must now listen to local people and scrap their proposal that would see people travelling from our part of Sunderland into Newcastle having to pay more to travel through an extra fare zone.
"Moving the zone boundary would be a real kick in the teeth for Fulwell and Seaburn folk who have had to put up with a terrible service, regular delays and cancellations and months where we didn't have a working lift at the station.
"Increasing ticket prices is bad enough, but any added increase coming from moving the boundary between fare zones B and C on the Metro from Seaburn station to East Boldon would mean no matter what type of ticket they use people travelling from Seaburn would face higher prices than anyone else at a time when they can least afford it.
"Nexus bosses and Sunderland Council urgently need to get a grip and rule out this terrible proposal that would do absolutely nothing to encourage more people in our area to use the Metro."