Metros unable to run under closed Gateshead flyover

Trains are currently running from Monument station to the Airport and St James, and from Heworth towards South Shields and South Hylton – but not to their usual timetable.

Since the flyover was first closed, Metro trains travelling beneath it have had to run at a slower speed.

Earlier, it was reported Gateshead Council bosses wanted to knock down the flyover as part of a major regeneration of the town centre, with leader Martin Gannon labelling the structure “unsightly” and a “costly structure to maintain”.

However, Gannon warned there would not be a “quick solution” due to the need to seek funding elsewhere.

The council has been talking about replacing the flyover since 2009, when plans for a tree-lined boulevard were first unveiled, and has now confirmed two bids for government funding in 2019 were refused.

Previous estimates have put the cost of demolishing the flyover and overhauling the surrounding road network between £13m and £74m, though those predicted costs are now several years old.