Petrol prices fuel Metro success

Trains on the Tyne and Wear Metro system run on electricity

An increase in passengers on the Tyne and Wear Metro is being put down to the rise in petrol prices.

Operator Nexus said the number of people using the trains was 5% more than the same time last year.

The public transport system, which runs on electricity, operates an annual fare rise and said it had no plans for an additional increase.

Andy Bairstow, from Nexus, said: "With fares remaining static, Metro travel represents value for money."

He said of the passenger rise: "I think people re-evaluate their household bills on a regular basis and they see from that, and from coverage in the media, that fuel prices are very expensive nowadays.

"We have an annual fares policy to cover our costs and the rising costs of inflation, so there are no plans to put up fares in the near future."