Tributes are being paid to Professor Tony Ridley, the civil engineer behind the Tyne and Wear Metro, following his death aged 92.

Professor Ridley was born in Castletown, Sunderland, in 1933, and played a central role in the formative years of the Metro’s creation, providing the leadership credited with bringing the project to reality.

He worked with a team of planners to design the Metro network, serving as Director General of the Tyne and Wear Passenger Transport Executive (PTE) from 1968 to 1975. Professor Ridley oversaw integral planning, securing of funding, and the inaugural year of construction in 1974.

Professor Ridley left the Passenger Transport Executive in 1975, where he then became the first Hong Kong Metro system managing director. Following this, he went on to manage London Underground.

He subsequently served as President of the Institution of Civil Engineers and became an Emeritus Professor at Imperial College London.

“Tony was the most hard working and demanding boss I ever worked for. His enthusiasm was infectious and his contribution to public transport unrivalled.”

Mike Parker, Nexus Director General from 1994 to 2006, who worked for Tony Ridley in London Underground in the late 80s.

“Everyone at Nexus is saddened to learn of Tony’s passing and we pay tribute to the work that he did. He was a pioneering engineer who made the Tyne and Wear Metro become reality. He paved the way for a system that revolutionised local public transport in North East England.

“It was Tony Ridley and his team who first came up with the idea of taking decaying rail lines and linking them using city centre tunnels and a bridge over the River Tyne. What they created is what we know as the Tyne and Wear Metro. His work as Director General cannot be understated. He was a pioneer, who played a huge part in transforming public transport in our region.

“He famously quipped that we’d never get away with building a Metro system, but thanks to his skill and determination that is exactly what did happen.” 

Cathy Massarella, Managing Director of Nexus.