Tyne and Wear Metro tunnels underneath Newcastle city centre to receive £3.4m improvement works

Buses will replace Tyne and Wear Metro services between Heworth and South Gosforth on the weekend of 16-17 March, and Easter Weekend between 29 March-1 April while the work is completed. Credit: Nexus

Rail track in Metro tunnels underneath Newcastle city centre is set to replaced over the next month to help safeguard network resilience.

The Prudhoe Street crossover, between Monument and Haymarket, carries 400 trains per day and is one of the busiest sections of the Tyne and Wear network.

Work will be completed over two weekends to reduce disruption for passengers and will be completed before the works to the Tyne Bridge get fully underway.

Buses will replace trains between Heworth and South Gosforth on the weekend of 16-17 March, and Easter Weekend between 29 March-1 April.

The Prudhoe Street crossover is set to be replaced. Credit: Nexus

Monument station will be completely closed during the works with those heading into Newcastle from North Tyneside via Wallsend advised to alight at Manors or St James.

The renewal of the junction will see the concrete track bed replaced. Fresh concrete will be pumped 150 metres down to the site before the new track junction is taken into the tunnels in sections to be fitted into place.

The works are expected to cost £3.4million and will complete the project to replace track between Jesmond and Gateshead.

Metro services will be replaced by buses between Heworth and South Gosforth for the duration of the works. Credit: NCJ Media

Stuart Clarke, Metro Infrastructure Director, said: “Metro’s central area tunnels are iconic and are a vital asset for the smooth operation of the network. We are investing £3.4m to replace what is a key junction in our tunnels between Haymarket and Monument.

“This work will see a large section of the track completely replaced. This is the busiest junction on the Metro system, one which carries hundreds of Metro services every single day.

“We’ve completed refurbishment schemes on the Prudhoe Street crossover in recent years, but now we are going in to do a full renewal.

“These works have been meticulously planned. It’s a critical part of the Metro system which will be replaced over two weekend line closures to ensure the least possible amount of disruption to customers.”

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