This paper takes a look at the well developed proposal to extend the Tyne & Wear Metro system to Sunderland.This proposal requires the introduction to the main Railtrack network of light rail vehicles designed to run on a closed system. The paper considers the main economic drivers behind the scheme, the challenges faced in adapting the railway to allow Metrotrains to run safely among conventional heavy rail trains (and vice versa), achievements so far in developing the scheme and the potential for application on a wider scale.
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