A newly elected MP has dismissed claims that getting the Metro linked to North West Durham is unrealistic.
Conservative MP Richard Holden pulled off one of the biggest shock of the election by overturning Laura Pidcock's huge majority to win the seat.
Now he has vowed continue his election campaign promise to get the area linked to Newcastle via the Metro and improve transport links.
During an interview with Adrian Chiles on Radio 5 Live, the politician was told residents had said the proposal was more unrealistic than Labour's plans for universal broadband.
Refuting the claim, he said: "There is an old train line that it would run along and the Government has already committed to putting £500 million into that and to look at it.
"The first thing I want to do is campaign with local people to get a study to see if it is viable and if it is viable I will absolutely campaign to get it in there.
"I think that is a totally sensible thing to do. I don't want my constituents to not be connected, there is no dual carriageway either.
"It has never been Conservative before. It is about time we had someone who would really fight for the area rather than take it for granted."
Mr Holden vowed that MPs in the North East would be a stronger voice fighting together in Parliament and would be heard by the Government.
He added: "Since 2010, Consett and North West Durham had lower than average employment to the national average and now it is about the same.
"We have actually seen a real improvement in employment across the North East and that is something I want to see continue.
"I want to see good jobs brought in there.
"I think one of the rejections of Labour at the last election was they saw private sector as bad and only public sector as good."
Mr Holden said good thriving sector jobs should support good public sector jobs.
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