David
Established Member
A Sunderland councillor is heading a campaign against plans to run fewer Metro trains in the city.
Operator Nexus is to cut trains running between Park Lane and South Hylton from every 12 minutes to every 24 minutes because of a lack of demand.
The company said it must match resources to passenger usage.
But Sunderland councillor Peter Wood is calling for Nexus to reconsider its decision and said more than one million people use this line every year.
Mr Wood has tabled a motion to be put before Sunderland City Council on Wednesday night.
He said: "I don't accept people aren't using it.
Decline reversed
"There was a very slight reduction in the number of passengers using that service in last financial year in common with slight reduction in use of metro services in general, but you still have well over one million people a year travelling between Park Lane and South Hylton.
"It seems Tyneside is being treated more favourably than Wearside."
The Metro extension to Sunderland was opened by the Queen in May 2002.
Nexus director-general Mike Parker said the company will continue to promote the Sunderland service.
He said: "The section between Park Lane and South Hylton is not even up to 40% of what was predicted.
"We have reduced fares from South Hylton into Sunderland and let's hope more people will use it and if we find this happening and this decline is reversed we will look at it again and put up frequency if demand is there."
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/4462374.stm
Operator Nexus is to cut trains running between Park Lane and South Hylton from every 12 minutes to every 24 minutes because of a lack of demand.
The company said it must match resources to passenger usage.
But Sunderland councillor Peter Wood is calling for Nexus to reconsider its decision and said more than one million people use this line every year.
Mr Wood has tabled a motion to be put before Sunderland City Council on Wednesday night.
He said: "I don't accept people aren't using it.
Decline reversed
"There was a very slight reduction in the number of passengers using that service in last financial year in common with slight reduction in use of metro services in general, but you still have well over one million people a year travelling between Park Lane and South Hylton.
"It seems Tyneside is being treated more favourably than Wearside."
The Metro extension to Sunderland was opened by the Queen in May 2002.
Nexus director-general Mike Parker said the company will continue to promote the Sunderland service.
He said: "The section between Park Lane and South Hylton is not even up to 40% of what was predicted.
"We have reduced fares from South Hylton into Sunderland and let's hope more people will use it and if we find this happening and this decline is reversed we will look at it again and put up frequency if demand is there."
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/4462374.stm