Protest at Metro 'privatisation'

A rally has taken place in Newcastle over plans to "privatise" the Tyne and Wear Metro network.

Operator Nexus has put the running of train services, stations and maintenance out to tender.

The organisation receives the bulk of its £106m annual budget from the five Tyne and Wear local authorities.

But unions, which organised the demonstration, have expressed concern that the network is on the verge of privatisation and that jobs could go.

Nexus said it would retain ownership of the network and had a duty to test whether services could be improved at less cost to the taxpayer.

But RMT regional organiser Stan Herschel said unions had real concerns that jobs would be lost and that safety standards could suffer.