Tyne & Wear Metro Realistic Extension

This is a fantasy expansion of the Tyne and Wear Metro, with a focus on reusing old rail alignments (like the Leamingside line), large boulevards (like King George Street in South Shields), and expanding the track capacity of the East Coast Mainline for metro expansion to the Metrocenter and north Newcastle. The Red Line, is a Tram-Train line with dual functionality of road and rail operation, similar to the Manchester Metrolink lines. Its two aims are to connect South Shields and Sunderland while also serving the disconnected East Shields, and also to serve western Gateshead and western Newcastle. It first interlines with the yellow between South Shields and Chichester, then a road alignment along the wide King George Road, and then through some farmland to reach East Boldon. After this, it interlines with the Green until South Hylton, then a new rail alignment along the disused Victoria Viaduct, then west along the old Pontop and South Shields line. By having road running capability for South Shields, the Red Line can also snake north to the major transit and commercial hub of Washington Services, by running along the Biddick Playing fields and then the very wide Washington Parkway. After this, it snakes back and continues along the old Pontop and South Shields line (servicing the high amount of factories and residential communities), until reaching the East Coast Mainline. Here, the current four tracks would be upgraded to 4, both allowing for metro operation and for higher capacity for intercity trains. This alignment allows for stops along the populated and underserved western Gateshead and Team Valley areas. Then, the line would traverse the abandoned Lobley Hill Rd rail spur, to get on the Tyne Valley Line, continuing through to the underutilised High Level Bridge, before stopping at an expanded Central Station platform. After this, it would travel along the abandoned Forth Goods Yard, then by a road alignment up to Newcastle Collage, before heading northwest to Arthur's Hill. Here the yellow will be expanded so that there is an easier east-west connection.