£310m given to Tees Valley by Government to boost public transport

The Tees Valley is being given £310 million pounds to help boost public transport.

The Government announced today that the money will be used to improve both Darlington and Middlesbrough train stations, increase public transport between Redcar and Middlesbrough and create new travel links to Teesworks.

The cash is part of a multi-billion pound overhaul of public transport across the country, as part of the Chancellors Autumn spending review.  

Rishi Sunak is set to pump £5.7 billion into sustainable transport settlements for city regions to boost productivity through train and station upgrades and the expansion of tram networks in cities outside of London. 

He will also announce £1.2 billion of new funding to transform bus services, as part of the £3 billion committed by the Prime Minister.  This will deliver Transport for London-style improvements to speed up journey times, simplify fares and increase the number of services outside of the capital.

The Chancellor of the Exchequer Rishi Sunak said: “Great cities need great transport and that is why we’re investing billions to improve connections in our city regions as we level up opportunities across the country.

“There is no reason why somebody working in the North and Midlands should have to wait several times longer for their bus or train to arrive in the morning compared to a commuter in the capital.

“This transport revolution will help redress that imbalance as we modernise our local transport networks so they are fit for our great cities and those people who live and work in them.”

As part of the City Region Sustainable Transport Settlements, funding will be allocated for projects in Greater Manchester (£1.07billion), West Yorkshire (£830 million), South Yorkshire (£570 million), West Midlands (£1.05 billion), Tees Valley (£310 million), West of England (£540 million) and Liverpool City Region (£710 million).