The announcement yesterday that the operating arm of Tyne and Wear Metro is to be privatised was met with bitter disappointment by unions and community campaigners in the region and nationally.

The in-house bid from owner and current operator Nexus was beaten by German company DB Regio, despite the high levels of service, efficiency and customer satisfaction demonstrated by Nexus in running the Metro. DB Regio has offered an important guarantee of no compulsory redundancies during the length of the franchise.  But earlier this year, research for the Northern Region TUC raised concerns about DB Regio’s record on maintenance and safety elsewhere, and unions will be looking to ensure this isn’t repeated on the Metro as the company seeks to maximise profits.

So you can now travel to Newcastle from Edinburgh, York or London by publicly-owned railway, but from April when you arrive at the station, from April 2010 you’ll be getting on a privately-run Metro.

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