./foiextract20101204-23535-afpii7-0

Date
19 March 2003

Circulation
Orpheus Working Group
Project Name
Orpheus
Project/Ref no.    204884
Subject
Extensions to Blaydon (19B) and Washington via Birtley (8C)
Introduction
Following a meeting with Gateshead MBC earlier in the year, the consultant team has undertaken an
additional assessment of alternative alignments for 2 out of the 29 corridors assessed in Phase 1A:
•  variant of Route 8 (Gateshead to Washington) - via Birtley
•  variant of Route 19 (Gateshead to MetroCentre) - extended to Blaydon
Technical Assessment
Jacobs Gibb have assessed the technical feasibility of these variants in their note Assessment of Routes
from Gateshead to Blaydon and to Washington via Birtley (March 2003). In the report, they identify
specimen routes for each variant: two for Route 8 and one for Route 19. The alignments are identified
on maps accompanying the report.
The findings of this note for the variant of Route 8 can be summarised as:
•  100% segregation not possible;
•  two new (or modified) bridges would be needed to cross the ECML;
•  may be considered a circuitous route between Gateshead and Washington.
The findings of this note for the variant of Route 19 can be summarised as:
•  both options are technically difficult due to the local topography;
•  both options impact on environmentally sensitive sites.
Demand and Economic Appraisal
Steer Davies Gleave has undertaken demand estimation and an economic appraisal for the two
variants. The cheaper of the two Route 19 variants (Option 1 to Blaydon Burn) was appraised in full.
This alignment is fully segregated and allows high floor operation.
A summary of the economic indicators are included in the Appraisal Summary Tables (ASTs).
NATA Appraisal
As well as a summary of the economic indicators, each AST assesses the variants against all five of
the overarching appraisal objectives.
1 York Place Leeds  LS1 2DR
[t] +44 (0)113-242 9955 [f] +44 (0)20 7827 9850 [e] [email address]  [i] www.steerdaviesgleave.com
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1

Conclusions
Variant of Route 8 (Gateshead to Washington) - via Birtley:
•  not suitable for LRT given dispersed markets in Washington and small residential catchment
elsewhere;
•  A link from Gateshead to Team Valley (Route 9) to be taken forward into Phase 1B.
Variant of Route 19 (Gateshead to MetroCentre) - extended to Blaydon:
•  Alternative solutions (bus using Centrelink infrastructure) should be investigated;
•  Extensions to MetroCentre from Newcastle (Route 21) and Gateshead (Route 19) to be taken
forward into Phase 1B.

1 York Place Leeds  LS1 2DR
[t] +44 (0)113-242 9955 [f] +44 (0)20 7827 9850 [e] [email address]  [i] www.steerdaviesgleave.com
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2

Appraisal Summary Table (AST)
LRT Technology
Route 8c: Washington to Gateshead via Team Valley
Route Length
12.8 km
BCR
0.3:1

Sub-Objective Impacts/Measures
Present value of capital costs
£142.3m
Economic benefit to cost ratio
0.3:1
Present value of operating costs
£54.4m
Operating ratio
0.4:1
Transport Economic Efficiency
Present value of revenue
£20.0m
Orpheus share of in-scope trips
14%
Economy
Larger housing site at Birtley and smaller one in Gateshead.  Access whole metro and
Significant development sites
national rail networks.   North Section public transport flow very high.
Population within 800m of the
42,358
Jobs within 800m of the corridor
42,966
corridor
Wider Economic Benefits
The corridor serves
0.71%
of people who live in the 16 most deprived wards in the study area (IMD, DETR, 2000)
Safety
Accidents
Small positive impact
Travels along the edge of a built environment conservation and adjacent to numerous public open spaces. Potential Tyne
Environment
Key constraints in the corridor
floodplain within Team Valley. Low impact – route affects a limited number of environmentally sensitive receptors along its
proposed alignment.
Key public facilities in the corridor
The Baltic Centre, The Galleries Shopping Centre, Gateshead City Centre, Washington District Centre, Retail World
Accessibility
% of households within the
% above / below the study area
Local car availability
38.9%
10.4% below
corridor without access to a car
average
Key interchange opportunities within the corridor
Buses and Metro at Gateshead
Integration
Major regeneration initiatives within the corridor
Coalfields Regeneration Trust priority wards
Service Type
Street running for 27% of route
Assumed Service
Washington to Four Lane Ends
Feasibility
Rail line pathing issues on MetroCentre line
Implementability
Network Integration
-
Cost Issues
-

Appraisal Summary Table (AST)
LRT Technology
Route 19B: Gateshead to Blaydon via MetroCentre and Blaydon station
Route Length
10.6 km
BCR
0.3:1

Sub-Objective Impacts/Measures
Present value of capital costs
£116.5m
Economic benefit to cost ratio
0.3:1
Present value of operating costs
£46.3m
Operating ratio
0.4:1
Transport Economic Efficiency
Present value of revenue
£15.8m
Orpheus share of in-scope trips
0.3
Economy
Employment site on south bank of Tyne.  Access Gateshead centres and Metro and
Significant development sites
national rail network.
Population within 800m of the
no info
Jobs within 800m of the corridor
no info
corridor
Wider Economic Benefits
The corridor serves
no info
of people who live in the 16 most deprived wards in the study area (IMD, DETR, 2000)
Safety
Accidents
Small positive impact
West of Blaydon there is Green Belt with high landscape value and SNCI including Blaydon Burn.  Entering the urban area
Environment
towards the Metrocentre, the route is within 1000m of a SSSI and LNR then directly adjacent to an SNCI for 100m and a built
Key constraints in the corridor
environment conservation area for 400m.  Adjacent to protected open space and recreation routes. Existing rail route has
medium impact - route affects a number of environmentally sensitive receptors along its proposed alignment.
Key public facilities in the corridor
MetroCentre, Gateshead City Centre
Accessibility
% of households within the
% above / below the study area
Local car availability
no info
no info
corridor without access to a car
average
Key interchange opportunities within the corridor
MetroCentre hub, Blaydon rail station
Integration
Major regeneration initiatives within the corridor
Newcastle West Gate New Deal for Communities
Service Type
Fully segregated
Assumed Service
Four Lane Ends to Blaydon
Feasibility
Rail line pathing issues on MetroCentre line
Implementability
Network Integration
-
Cost Issues
Rail/Metro interface uncertainty

NEXUS – Orpheus Project

Assessment of Routes from
Gateshead to Blaydon and to
Washington via Birtley

March 2003

Project Orpheus

Document control sheet
Form IP180/B
Client: NEXUS

Project:
ORPHEUS – PHASE 1A
Job No:  J22270A
Title:
Assessment of Blaydon and Birtley Routes

Prepared by
Reviewed by
Approved by
NAME
NAME
NAME
ORIGINAL
Nigel Dyson
Peter Gross
Peter Gross
DATE
SIGNATURE
SIGNATURE
SIGNATURE

NAME
NAME
NAME
REVISION

DATE
SIGNATURE
SIGNATURE
SIGNATURE

NAME
NAME
NAME
REVISION

DATE
SIGNATURE
SIGNATURE
SIGNATURE

NAME
NAME
NAME
REVISION

DATE
SIGNATURE
SIGNATURE
SIGNATURE

This report, and information or advice which it contains, is provided by JacobsGIBB Ltd solely for internal use and reliance by its Client in performance of JacobsGIBB
Ltd’s duties and liabilities under its contract with the Client.  Any advice, opinions, or recommendations within this report should be read and relied upon only in the
context of the report as a whole.  The advice and opinions in this report are based upon the information made available to JacobsGIBB Ltd at the date of this report and
on current UK standards, codes, technology and construction practices as at the date of this report. Following final delivery of this report to the Client, JacobsGIBB Ltd
will have no further obligations or duty to advise the Client on any matters, including development affecting the information or advice provided in this report. This report
has been prepared by JacobsGIBB Ltd in their professional capacity as Consulting Engineers.  The contents of the report do not, in any way, purport to include any
manner of legal advice or opinion. This report is prepared in accordance with the terms and conditions of JacobsGIBB Ltd‘s contract with the Client.  Regard should be
had to those terms and conditions when considering and/or placing any reliance on this report. Should the Client wish to release this report to a Third Party for that
party's reliance, JacobsGIBB Ltd may, at its discretion, agree to such release provided that:
(a)
JacobsGIBB Ltd's written agreement is obtained prior to such release, and
(b)
By release of the report to the Third Party, that Third Party does not acquire any rights, contractual or otherwise, whatsoever against JacobsGIBB Ltd, and
JacobsGIBB Ltd accordingly assume no duties, liabilities or obligations to that Third Party, and
(c)
JacobsGIBB Ltd accepts no responsibility for any loss or damage incurred by the Client or for any conflict of JacobsGIBB Ltd's interests arising out of the Client's
release of this report to the Third Party.

Contents
1
INTRODUCTION 1-1
1.1
Background 1-1
1.2
Report objectives
1-1
2
GATESHEAD TO BLAYDON
2-1
2.1
Existing Public Transport Services
2-1
2.2
Potential Alignments
2-1
2.3
Key technical issues
2-2
2.4
Capital and Operating costs
2-2
2.5
Conclusions on Route
2-4
3
GATESHEAD TO WASHINGTON VIA BIRTLEY
3-5
3.1
Potential Alignments
3-5
3.2
Key Technical Issues
3-5
3.3
Capital and Operating costs
3-5
3.4
Conclusions on Route
3-6

1 INTRODUCTION
1.1 Background
At a recent meeting with Gateshead MBC Officers and Members, a
request was made to consider the viability of a route alignment
extension from the Gateshead Metro Station to Blaydon and
reconsider a potential route from Gateshead to Washington via the
Team Valley and Birtley. The later route had been previously
considered within the Phase 1A investigations.

1.2 Report
Objectives
This short report aims to review the potential routes to service the
above corridors and to examine their technical viability and
associated costs.

The only realistic way of approaching the route to Blaydon is as an
extension of Route 19 - Gateshead to the Metro Centre, along the
Newcastle to Hexham heavy rail route. This is already included in the
final 10 routes for consideration for Phase 1b. Any other route would
be largely highway based or integrated with future development sites,
requiring the crossing of the A1(M) on local roads and significant on-
street running with the associated risk to journey times.

The route from Gateshead to Washington via Birtley reviews earlier
work and examines a further route alignment.

Report on Routes-Blaydon and Birtley 080303/Mar-03
1-1

2
GATESHEAD TO BLAYDON
2.1
Existing Public Transport Services
The town centre of Blaydon, and the adjacent residential and
commercial areas, are currently served by a heavy rail station on the
Newcastle to Hexham route. The station is offset from the main
residential area to the south of the town centre, requiring relatively
long walking and cycling links, although it is relatively close to
Blaydon Bus Station for interchange. However the rail service is
extremely limited with trains stopping only once or twice in the
morning and evening peak periods to give access to stations to both
Newcastle and towards Hexham and beyond.  Most services stop at
the MetroCentre to the east and Wylam to the west. It is understood
that the rail operators, Scotrail and Arriva Northern consider that
passenger demand at Blaydon is too low to support a regular
stopping service.

There are a variety of bus services along the corridor between
Blaydon and Gateshead. The limited stop X66 provides a direct link
from Gateshead to the Metro Centre ( 10 mins) where passengers
can interchange on to the Service 613 to Blaydon bus station ( 7
mins), giving a total journey time of around 22 mins.  Additionally,
Services 622, 649 and 605 provide direct links from Blaydon Town
Centre to Gateshead via various route with journey times ranging
from 25 30 minutes.  A route that penetrates the main residential area
to Winlaton Bus Station is the Service MI which links to both Blaydon
Bus Station and the MetroCentre on a half hourly service.

2.2 Potential
Alignments
Any alignments have been considered as extensions to Route 19
Gateshead to the MetroCentre. They need to be tested in patronage
terms against a simple extension of Route 19 to Blaydon Station.
However the operators of the existing services on this line offer
virtually no stopping services to Blaydon Station due to the lack of
patronage and the proximity of the MetroCentre station where
interchange with local bus services id focussed.

For competing LRT routes to be viable, they must provide the
Blaydon residential catchment areas with journey times at least as
comparative as current bus and rail services, or a combination of
both. The use of a highway related tram type alignment from the
MetroCentre to the outskirts of Blaydon is not considered realistic due
to the capital cost  of highway running and the adverse run time
impacts.

Therefore two alignment options have been appraised

•  The use of the existing Newcastle-Hexham heavy rail line to
the west of Blaydon station and then via the old Rolands Gill
rail formation to a terminus near the Burn Road/Black Lane

Report on Routes-Blaydon and Birtley 080303/Mar-03

junction. Pedestrian access may be difficult and the route will
only run round the periphery of the urban residential area.
•  A second route would be to leave the heavy rail line to the
west of the A1(M) crossing and to pass to the south around
the Shibdon Pond Nature Reserve to Shibdon Road. A
tramway alignment would then follow the Shibdon Lane-Tyne
Street route to Winlaton Bus Station. This has some gradients
and narrow carriageway sections and currently
accommodates a bus route.

2.3 Key
technical
issues
Both alignments considered would have longer journey times than the
option to upgrade the existing rail service to Blaydon Station.
However the Winlaton link could increase the penetration of the
residential areas, with associated increased demand potential.

Option One – Link to Winlaton Bus Station

The route to Winlaton Bus station would be possible but involves a
significant length of tramway with a number of localised design issues
and limited ability to segregate the route. However this route is only
considered possible, if derogation could be obtained to use tram
vehicles on the rail route, which is looking increasingly unlikely.
Additionally there may be adverse environmental impact on the
nature reserve.

Option Two – Rolands Gill Route

It is considered that the alignment along part of the old Rolands Gill
rail route will create adverse environmental impact on this footpath/
cycle path route. Details on this are include in the Route 17
assessment. Access to the main residential area will be difficult due
to the topography and walk links. Given the distance from the existing
highway, interchange with bus services will not be convenient.
However this alignment could accommodate Metro/high floor type
vehicles and overcome the problem of interfacing tram and heavy rail
vehicles on the Hexham-Newcastle heavy rail route.

In technical terms Option Two would be the most practicable and cost
effective.

2.4
Capital and Operating costs
The capital and operating costs of the two route options have been
assessed on the same basis as the other routes in the Phase 1a sift.
This uses a unit evaluation of alignment type and length, key
structure, approximate run times and vehicle kilometreage.

The results are shown below in tables 2.1 – 2.4 for each option.

Report on Routes-Blaydon and Birtley 080303/Mar-03

Table  2.1 – Capital Costs – Option One

CAPITAL COSTS
Alignment Type
km
Cost/km
Cost (£m)
On-Street
1.6 6.4 10.3
Segregated
0.6 2.8  1.7
Structure
3.2
Modified Heavy
8.3 3.0 24.9
Rail
Tunnel
0.2 15.0
Total
10.7   51.9

Return Journey
48
Time (mins)

Vehicles
Number
Cost/Veh (£m)
Cost (£m)
6
1.5
9

Development
3.6
Costs
Railtrack Costs
12.5
Statutory
2.5
undertakers
Costs
Total Capital
79.5
Costs (£m)

Table 2.2 – Annual Operating Costs

OPERATIONAL COSTS
Round Trip (km)
21.4
Vehicle km/year (x1000)
676
Total annual operating Cost (3m)
2.3

Report on Routes-Blaydon and Birtley 080303/Mar-03

Table  2.3 – Capital Costs – Option Two

CAPITAL COSTS
Alignment Type
km
Cost/km
Cost (£m)
On-Street
0 6.4  0
Segregated
1.3 2.8  3.6
Structure
3.2
Modified Heavy
9.1 3.0 27.3
Rail
Tunnel
0.2 15.0
Total
10.6   45.9

Return Journey
38
Time (mins)

Vehicles
Number
Cost/Veh (£m)
Cost (£m)
5
1.5
7.5

Development
3.1
Costs
Railtrack Costs
13.6
Statutory
0
undertakers
Costs
Total Capital
70.1
Costs (£m)

Table 2.2 – Annual Operating Costs

OPERATIONAL COSTS
Round Trip (km)
21.2
Vehicle km/year (x1000)
670
Total annual operating Cost (3m)
2.3

2.5
Conclusions on Route
It is considered that the route Option One  to Winlaton via a tramway
link is expensive, relatively slow and has limited benefits over the
existing bus and rail links to Gateshead and Newcastle. Additionally
the use of tram type vehicles on the existing heavy rail route is
problematic and unlikely to be cleared by Network Rail or the HMRI
without significant derogations.

Route Option Two provides a better technical solution but is
considered unlikely to generate adequate patronage due to the
relation of the alignment to the centroid of the Blaydon residential
area.

Report on Routes-Blaydon and Birtley 080303/Mar-03

3
GATESHEAD TO WASHINGTON VIA BIRTLEY

3.1 Potential
Alignments
The alignment considered forms an extension of the Gateshead to
Team Valley Route 9 and parallels the original Route 19 routes.
These were considered in the earlier Phase 1A analysis but ran to the
east of the A1(M) in a southbound direction from Kingsway South.
The new alignment has now been assessed from Kingsway South via
a new park and ride site just to the south of the A1(M) and then due
south on or adjacent to the road alongside the railway sidings and the
River Team. The East Coast Main Line (EMCL) would be crossed
using the road between Birtley and Knibblesworth. The alignment into
Birtley would then join the originally considered route at the crossing
of the Bowes Railway Route. This would allow the potential for a fair
degree of segregated alignment in the order of 70%. However two
improved bridges would be required to pass under the ECML and the
adjacent line to the rail sidings area. The route remainder of the route
would use the originally considered alignment through the Birtley
residential area, partly on Durham Road and then to Washington
Galleries.

3.2
Key Technical Issues
The technical issues are similar to the original Route 9A –
Washington to Gateshead via the Team Valley. Additionally two mew
or modifies bridges would be required to cross the ECML. On this
route there are some relatively severe gradients and a tram type
vehicle would be required to deal with the on-street sections, creating
interface problems running on the Hexham-Newcastle heavy rail
route.

3.3
Capital and Operating costs
Most of this route has already been evaluated in the earlier phase 1a
sift. The costs below have been up dated and modified to reflect the
cost changes contained in the evaluation of the final 10 routes, short-
listed for Phase 1b.

Report on Routes-Blaydon and Birtley 080303/Mar-03

Table  3.1 – Capital Costs

CAPITAL COSTS
Alignment Type
km
Cost/km
Cost (£m)
On-Street
3.5 6.4 19.8
Segregated
6.4 2.8 17.9
Structure
0.4   2.2
Modified Heavy
2.3 3  6.9
Rail
Tunnel
0.2 15.0
Total
12.8   61.8

Return Journey
69
Time (mins)

Vehicles
Number
Cost/Veh (£m)
Cost (£m)
8
1.5
12

Development
3.8
Costs
Railtrack Costs
3
Statutory
5
undertakers
Costs
Total Capital
85.6
Costs (£m)

Table 3.2 – Annual Operating Costs

OPERATIONAL COSTS
Round Trip (km)
25.6
Vehicle km/year (x1000)
808
Total annual operating Cost (3m)
2.7

3.4
Conclusions on Route
The newly considered route is very similar to the original alignment
analysed in Phase Ia. However it does allow for direct access to a
potential park and ride site to the south of the A1(M) at the Kingsway
Junction. From a technical viewpoint it is practical but requires the
crossing of the East Coast Mainline west of Birtley.

Report on Routes-Blaydon and Birtley 080303/Mar-03