Transport secretary Patrick McLoughlin has met with representatives from a number of groups in the north-east of England to discuss the investment in transport network improvements that has now been earmarked for the region in the years ahead.

Mr McLoughlin met with members of the Dual the A1 campaign, the North East Combined Authority and Northumberland County Council, as he outlined ambitious plans to bolster the north-east economy through improved transport links.

"The people of Newcastle and the north-east have been waiting a considerable time for the A1 to be dualled – ‎nearly 80 years, in fact," the minister said.

"The 'Road investment strategy' I announced on Monday (December 2nd) gives the scheme its long overdue go-ahead. I want to pay tribute to those who have campaigned for this, like them I want to see the project transform one of the country's most notoriously congested stretches of road.‎"

Projects that will be completed across the region between now and the end of the decade include a £300 million commitment by the Department of Transport to invest in the dualling of the A1 between Coal House and Metro Centre, while a further £290 will see similar expansion of the carriageway from Morpeth to Ellingham.

Elsewhere, the last non-motorway section of the A1 in Yorkshire (between Redhouse and Darrington) is to be upgraded in the coming months, delivering improved safety for road users and lower levels of congestion once complete.

Finally, the minister highlighted the launch of a new feasibility study into improvements for transport links between the north-east/Yorkshire and the major powerhouses of the north-west, with planned improvements that could see a considerable stretch of the M62 become subject to variable speed limits and improved traffic management systems in the coming years.

Mr McLoughlin concluded that delivering significant improvements across the north-east transport network forms a "key part" of the government's long-term economic plan.