Seven Metro trains out of action due to faults causing gaps in service and delays
Seven Metro trains are out of action due to faults, leading to gaps in the service and delays. This disruption to the service caused delays of up to 15 minutes across the Metro system.
This issue began at around 6.30am on Tuesday, with Nexus originally writing on their website: "Due to a failed train, there are delays of up to 15 mins or more on services on the Green and Yellow Lines from Airport towards Airport, in both directions.
"We are working to resolve the issue and will resume the timetable as soon as possible. We apologise for the inconvenience. Thank you for your patience."
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A spokesperson for Stadler, the Metro manufacturer, said: "Every effort is being made to get trains back on to the network, following the reduction in the number of units available for service this morning.
"Trains are being reintroduced over the course of the day, and we expect availability to continue to improve. At this stage, we are set to provide a full service by tomorrow morning.
"The Tyne and Wear Metro fleet is 45 years old and has come to the end of its natural life. We continue to work hard to provide the best service possible under challenging circumstances and look forward to the introduction of the new trains, which will dramatically improve the passenger experience."
After this, Nexus put out a full statement, with a spokesperson saying: "Metro services have been affected by a series of train faults this morning, Tuesday 26 November.
"We’ve seen a total of seven Metro trains taken out of service due to failures. We are liaising with the Stadler team at Gosforth Depot on this.
"The faults mean that we are currently under the core weekday service, which requires 28 Metro trains to be running. The current Metro train is 45-year-old existing fleet and is operating beyond its lifespan.
"The ageing fleet is becoming increasingly difficult to maintain and repair, exacerbated by a shortage of spare parts and cold weather. We remain focused on getting the best possible performance from our current trains while transition to the new fleet.
“We’re grateful to customers for their patience during this disruption and apologise for any inconvenience caused.
"We are ensuring our customers are up to date with regular communication via station announcements and electronic display screens, our email travel alerts, Pop App alerts, on our website www.nexus.org.uk and via our X page (formerly Twitter) @My_Metro."
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