Mayor intervenes to delay Metro fare rises

Metro passengers in the North East will see fare increases postponed for three months following significant system-wide disruption.

North East mayor Kim McGuinness has delayed planned fare rises until July 1, after the closure of the Gateshead Flyover in late 2024 caused nearly two weeks of Metro cancellations. 

The decision was approved by the North East Combined Authority as part of its 2025-26 budget.

Mayor McGuinness said: “I want to see a better Metro service. 

“I’ve been very clear with Nexus about that, but I know passengers have not seen that improvement happening, in large part due to the severe disruption caused by the closure of Gateshead Flyover and the impact that had on the tunnels below.  

“With this in mind it would not be the right thing to increase fares in April as has happened in previous years. 

“People should not be paying more when they have had less. 

“I have made the decision to delay the new fares coming in until later in the year. 

“This way I want to give something back to passengers and show how serious we are about a better service.”

John Fenwick, director of finance and resources at Nexus, added: “In consultation with the North East mayor Kim McGuinness, we are proposing to implement the fare proposals from 1 July 2025 rather than the usual 1 April.  

“Holding back the changes recognises the exceptional disruption caused to customers at the end of 2024 when the central Metro tunnels under the Gateshead Flyover were closed at short notice for 10 days affecting journeys across the whole network. 

“Metro is a public service and doesn’t make a profit, so we require Government support, alongside the revenue that we generate from fares, to keep the system running.” 

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