DARe hosts North East England Transport Summit

Hosted by Newcastle University at The Catalyst, the event brought together 80 representatives from industry, civic authority, and academia from across the region to explore and discuss the transition to a decarbonised and resilient transport system in the North East. An exciting day packed full of important knowledge sharing, there was a real sense of collaboration for action amongst delegates.

Professor Stephanie Glendinning, DARe Co-Investigator and Pro–Vice–Chancellor of the Faculty of Science, Agriculture and Engineering (SAgE) at Newcastle University, opened the event and welcomed delegates with inspiring reflections on the region’s strengths.

Professor Phil Blythe CBE, DARe Director, and Professor Roberto Palacin, DARe Co-Director, shared with delegates the DARe Hub’s overall mission and some of the North East-based case studies the team are exploring. 

The new North East Combined Authority (NECA), is a DARe Project Partner and as the former Transport North East (the region’s local transport authority), it has been involved with the Hub’s mission from the very beginning. Tobyn Hughes, Director of Transport at the North East Combined Authority, led attendees through NECA’s aims to create a fairer, greener, fully integrated transport network that works for all (including both people and freight).  

Next, Dominic Curry, Environment and Sustainability Manager at Nexus, shared the organisation’s mission to improve the Tyne and Wear Metro for the environment, economy, and communities it serves. As the network expands and improves over the coming years there are several challenges it faces, like aging assets and climate change impacts. The path forward will involve diversifying energy supply, effective environmental management, decarbonising operations, addressing barriers to encourage active travel uptake, and increasing the resilience of both transport and environment.   

Addressing net zero targets alongside resilience and adaptation can present opportunities across multiple sectors. Simon Wilson, Area Flood and Coastal Risk Manager for the North East, Environment Agency, demonstrated some of the collaborative projects underway in the region that will provide a number of co-benefits whilst addressing flood risks, like the Blue Green Newcastle project addressing flooding on St James’ Boulevard in Newcastle.   

Professor Haris Patsios, Professor of Smart Energy Systems at Newcastle University, has conducted analysis into policy gaps within the energy-transport nexus. Transport infrastructure resilience is not just about transport infrastructure, and Prof Patsios’ research shows that policies intended for one sector often have unintended impacts on others. Transport policies around electrification, for example, could impact the electricity grid, highlighting the need for stakeholder coordination, early planning, and integrated policies that address cross-sector effects.  

The development of the Northumberland Line will bring passenger trains back into service between Ashington and Newcastle, stimulating economic growth, regeneration, and community development. Neil Blagburn, Programme Delivery Director at AECOM, talked through progress on the project so far. Whilst there have been a number of exciting developments, the project has not been without its challenges, particularly around embedding resilience to weather events and integration with connected aspects. Ensuring infrastructure can withstand climate change impacts is crucial but often costly, presenting capital and funding challenges.  

Finally, to close the event, Professor Phil Blythe reflected on how, within the varied talks and topics covered during the NE Summit, there were several recurrent themes: integration, collaboration, exchange, and connection. This is where the DARe Hub is focussed – our research programme centres around these key strands, and we look forward to continuing our collaborative work across the transport sector. 

If you would like to find out more about becoming a DARe Project Partner or getting involved, please get in touch.