I was up in the north-east at the weekend. It’s where I was born and brought up, so I have fond memories of the area’s transport network.
I was seven years old when HM The Queen opened the Tyne and Wear Metro system and the Queen Elizabeth II bridge, in November 1981.
![](https://lowres-picturecabinet.com.s3-eu-west-1.amazonaws.com/43/main/41/120580.jpg)
Billed as the UK’s first fully integrated transport system, the Metro changed the face of travel in the north-east, and I still cherish my copy of the souvenir brochure from the launch. I was determined to be a Metro driver, back then. There’s still time.
I found this wonderfully nostalgic poster in the National Railway Museum‘s collection:
![](https://lowres-picturecabinet.com.s3-eu-west-1.amazonaws.com/43/main/3/81718.jpg)
The area played a major role in railway history – Robert Stephenson’s Rocket locomotive, for instance, was built in Newcastle.
![](https://lowres-picturecabinet.com.s3-eu-west-1.amazonaws.com/43/main/3/82317.jpg)
These days, the Metro is operated by the German national railway, Deutsche Bahn, who last week announced they’re buying Sunderland-based bus and train operator, Arriva. They also own or part-own Chiltern Railways, Wrexham & Shropshire and London Overground.
It’s a complex business. More on the latest addition to the London Overground network soon…