Councils and agencies in the Northeast are to form a specialist city-region body, which will be charged with drawing up and implementing a transportation strategy to deliver improved links both within Tyne and Wear and with the rest of the country.

The new transport board is targeting closer working with the Highways Agency and Network Rail, and will involve representatives from business, local communities, transport users and other transport operators in the Northeast, including ports and airports. 

spokeswoman for the new body, which is expected to be loosely based on Transport for London, said: ‘City-region partners recognise that the existing model is a barrier to sustainable and inclusive economic growth.

‘There must be clear, consistent and well understood responsibilities for transport delivery and, in particular, effective partnerships with other bodies responsible for the delivery of transport, such as the Highways Agency and Network Rail.’

The new organisation believes it will give a better service to the Northeast by providing a stronger lobbying voice on such issues as the dualling of the A1, and it will also give transport planners the opportunity to draw up schemes to make travel across the region easier.

It is understood planners are already working together on an integrated ticketing system which would allow one pass to cover all buses and commuter trains in the Northeast, as well as the Metro rail system.

Although a detailed action plan will not be on the table before early next year, it is expected the new body will supersede both the region’s passenger transport authority and transport executive.

Cllr Bob Symonds, chair of the Interim City Region Board and leader of Sunderland City Council, said: ‘We now have a great opportunity to develop locally-appropriate forms of governance led by local bodies.’