2024 will see the Metro’s £362m fleet of Swiss-built carriages finally start to come into service after years of waiting for the existing, increasingly-unreliable trains to be replaced.
It had been hoped that the first of the new trains would have been ready to use by now, but their target start date has now been pushed back into the spring.
But, with five new trains now having been delivered to the Metro depot in Gosforth, commuters across the Tyne and Wear network can expect to see them rolling into stations very soon.
Daytime testing of the fleet will begin in the coming weeks, meaning that people will see the shiny new trains pulling into stations as they wait for their usual service.
While that will no doubt be an exciting moment for customers fed up with the trains that have served the region since the Metro opened in 1980, operator Nexus will be asking people not to make the mistake of jumping on board.
While the carriages on test runs will pull into stations and open their doors, they are not going to be open to the public.
Signs will be attached to every door alerting passengers to the fact that the train is not in service and a mesh barrier will be attached to stop people boarding, while staff will also be on board and monitoring CCTV to prevent anyone from trying to get inside.
Head of fleet and depot replacement at Nexus, Michael Richardson, said: “We’re really excited to get the first new Metro trains in service for customers and we’re making great progress. We were delighted to receive a further two new trains from Switzerland in December, which means we now have five new trains at Gosforth Depot.
“Teams at Nexus continue to work hard to prepare for a thorough training programme and are currently aiming for the first run in customer service to be in the Spring. The complex testing process remains ongoing in conjunction with our colleagues at Stadler.
“We hope to start testing during the day soon. This means that customers will see the new trains running across the network in between timetabled services.
“Introducing these new trains is the biggest and most important project in the history of the Tyne and Wear Metro. These are bespoke new trains designed and shaped by customer feedback and will transform the customer experience in terms of comfort, quality and reliability as well as setting high standards of accessibility.”
Metro users have been told they can expect major improvements once the new trains are ready.
As well as being far more reliable than the current carriages, they also boast modern features like air conditioning, USB charging points, and an automatic sliding step at every door.
