I can't believe people here are so negative about the "Teesside Metro" project.
Ok so the airport gets a regular service, that will get next to zero passengers. On the face of it its pretty pointless right now. But whats the cost.
But to ANY airline, anytime in the near future, a regular connection to Darlington (for the mainline) and Middlesbrough (for its population) is going to be quite a big thing. Far more attractive than a poorly timed bus service or 1 train a week. A regular rail connection is a good selling point! One train a week will not sway anyone, a halfhourly, oreven hourly shuttle looks a lot better. Even if its not used, the fact its there is no bad thing in terms of the airport!
Looking at the state of MME now... ANY investment should be welcomed, because with all the negativity, you couldn't get a much worse connected airport than MME is now.
As for the statistics for the T&W metro, 10% sounds low, but i think the majority of people who use it, are meeting and greeting or working there. rather than travelling themselves.