Tyne and Wear Metro passengers get first glimpse at new train after vital breakthrough


Many Tyne and Wear Metro passengers got their first glimpse of one of the network’s much-anticipated new trains, after a key breakthrough.

The arrival of the Swiss-made fleet that will replace the Metro’s increasingly battered carriages has been hit with numerous delays, much to the frustration of customers fed up with journey delays. Summer 2023 was set as the start date for the Stadler-built carriages to enter service, but none are in use almost a year later and transport bosses now merely hope to get the first trains into the Metro timetable by the end of 2024.

But there was a glimpse of what is to come on Wednesday afternoon, when the first daytime test of one of the new trains was staged. The yellow and grey model was seen pulling into stations around the Metro’s coastal loop between Newcastle and North Tyneside – the first time one of the new fleet has been put through its paces on the network at the same time as existing services are running.

That testing, which Metro operator Nexus called a “significant step” forward, comes after a breakthrough to resolve a problem with the trains. The Local Democracy Reporting Service revealed in January how an issue that had been discovered with the trains’ traction system had forced a delay to the fleet’s introduction and required them to be subjected to more testing to find a resolution.

It is understood that a change to the traction system has now been implemented to allow drivers to carry out the daytime test runs – though it is unclear at this stage whether this is a permanent or temporary fix. Nexus confirmed: “We have implemented a modification to enable us to progress into this vital phase of testing the new trains in mixed traffic on the Metro system, as we get them ready for customer service.”

Previous test runs on the Metro network for the new trains, seven of which are now in the North East, have been carried out overnight after other services have ended. Stadler has now built 23 new Metro trains in total, half of the 46 which have been ordered.

Nexus has warned passengers not to try and board the trains if they see one on a test run, with netting fitted to their doors to stop passengers from getting on.

A new Metro train on its first daytime test
A new Metro train on its first daytime test -Credit:Newcastle Chronicle

Kim McGuinness, the newly-elected North East mayor, said: “The North East deserves the best public transport system. I have promised to deliver the best connected and greenest network in the UK and that’s exactly what we’ll do.

“Our region’s new £362m fleet will be transformational by improving comfort and reliability for the people who use the Metro every day to travel to work or to get to school or college. It’s great to see testing underway today thanks to a lot of hard work by the team at Nexus. We’ll make sure an improved service is up and running as soon as possible.”

As well as being more reliable and environmentally friendly than the ailing carriages that have served Tyne and Wear since 1980, the new fleet will boast a range of modern features such as air conditioning, USB charging points, and improved CCTV.

Michael Richardson, head of fleet and depot replacement at Nexus, added: “We’re excited to have our first new trains in daytime testing on the network, which will give customers a chance to see them for the first time. This marks a new milestone in our £362m Metro Fleet programme. It’s a big step forward as we continue to get the first few trains ready for customer service.

“We will be working closely with Stadler during the daytime test runs, with the new train slotted in between other timetabled services. Customers are going to see the new trains on different parts of the network. Unfortunately, they won’t be able to get on board at this stage as it’s still in the live testing phase. Special signage will be attached to every set of doors to advise people the train is under test and that they can’t board the carriage.

“Testing the new trains is the most complex and challenging part of what is the biggest project we’ve undertaken since the Metro system was first built. There is great attention to detail. It’s very much like the testing that a car manufacturer undertakes when it’s preparing to unveil a new model. The trains need to be put through their paces to ensure that they are ready for day to day customer service.”