Engagement events are to be held during September, in line with plans to extend the Tyne and Wear Metro to Washington in County Durham.

The consultation will also ask residents for their views on where stations should be located along the 13 km extension to Washington, and includes plans for three new stations.

The proposal forms a key part of a plan to transform local transport and create an integrated network across the region.

Public drop-in sessions, which will allow local people to hear from members of the Nexus project team and ask the team questions about the project, will be held at:

• Washington Millennium Centre, Concord.
• Washington Arts Centre, Biddick Lane.
• Wardley Fitzgeralds.
• Tansy Centre, South Hylton.
• Teal Farm Pub.North East Land, Sea, Air Museum.
• Washington.Sunderland College, City Campus.
• The Galleries, Washington.
• Columbia Village Community Centre, Washington.
• Pelaw Metro Station.
• The Bridges shopping centre, Sunderland.

At the drop-in sessions, details of the proposed route will be on display, as well as suggested locations for the new stations, which were defined following a feasibility study earlier this year.

They follow similar events last summer that outlined the aims of the extension and sought the public’s views.

It is planned that an outline business case for the extension will be ready by the start of next year, with the first Metro trains running on the new line in 2033.

“Following the feasibility study earlier this year, we are excited to share the latest proposals through a series of drop-in sessions. This builds on the public engagement events we carried out last year. We are committed to listening to local people and ensuring their views help shape the project as it develops. We are already in discussions with landowners that could be impacted and want to engage with more members of the wider community. The format will be informal drop-in sessions, so that people can pop in and speak to us on a one-to-one basis. We’re keen to listen to as many views as possible.”

Paul Welford, Major Projects Director at Nexus