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A Labour government would provide £527 million to replace aging trains on the North East Metro, Shadow Chancellor John McDonnell will announce today.

It’s part of a £1.4 billion package of investment for the Metro, rail lines and other infrastructure in the North East that Labour is promising to deliver.

Transport authority Nexus and the North East Combined Authority published plans last July to replace Metro trains which have been in operation since the 1970 with new state-of-the-art models.

Council leaders and officials are in talks with the Department for Transport about providing funding, but nothing has been confirmed.

But Mr McDonnell will announce that Labour is committed to pushing ahead with a series of projects including new Metro trains and reopening the Leamside line at a cost of £300 million. This could connect Belmont in Durham with Fencehouses, Penshaw, Sunderland, South Hylton, Washington, Pelaw, South Shields and Newcastle.

(Image: Publicity Picture)

It would also fund plans to re-open the Ashington, Blyth and Tyne line, at a cost of £110 million.

And £400 million will be available for rail services in Tees Valley, including electrification of the Northallerton to Teesport line, improvements to Darlington Station and improvements to Middlesbrough Station .

The Shadow Chancellor will lay out a vision for what he calls a more prosperous post-Brexit united Britain, powered by a manufacturing. And he will say Labour plans to invest in the economies of both the North of England and Scotland, in contrast to what Labour says are the austerity policies of the Tories and the SNP.

He will announce Labour’s to help unlock £30 billion of economic potential for the North, helping to create an extra 60,000 jobs across the whole region.

(Image: PA)

Speaking at Labour’s Regional Economic Conference in Newcastle, Mr McDonnell will say: “The potential of the North East is being wasted by this Conservative Government.

“Whilst London receives half all transport investment made by the Government, the North East receives just 1.8 per cent of the total.

“That’s almost £2,000 a head in London, but just £220 in the North East.

“That funding gap has real consequences. It means that communities can’t prosper when they could.”

Lack of investment meant potential jobs were being not being created, he will say.

“We need a new vision for the North-East. One that builds on its historic strengths, but looks to the future.

“That recognises the potential for the North East as a great manufacturing and trading hub in a global world.

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“Based on investment right here, in its people and its places, and facing the world with confidence.”

The Shadow Chancellor will say Labour is committed to investing in the North East.

“Here in the North East, where the first commercial steam railway was opened, we’ll build on its immense legacy of engineering and manufacturing success.

“We’ll invest in new local rail so that every part of every county here can share in the prosperity.

“Improving rolling stock. Overhauling and expanding stations.

“Electrifying lines that should have been electrified years ago.

“This is a £1.4bn commitment to transform the transport infrastructure of the whole region.”