New Tyne and Wear Metro fleet should still enter service by end of year says Nexus

The delayed fleet of new Tyne and Wear Metro trains should still begin entering service before the end of this year, according to officials.

Passengers have repeatedly been left frustrated by a number setbacks to the arrival of the fleet.

The trains are due to replace the current carriages which been in service for more than 40 years.

Michael Richardson, head of fleet and depot replacement at Nexus, said: “The detailed fleet testing programme continues to make good progress and our aim is to get the first new train into service by the end of 2024."

The current fleet first began serving the region in 1980 when the Metro was opened, but have become increasingly unreliable.

The first of 46 Swiss-built trains were meant to be in use on the rail network last summer.

They were already behind schedule before a new problem emerged this January with their traction system, which forced operator Nexus to push back their introduction even further.

A fix has subsequently been found for that issue and transport bosses say the fleet is track to begin its rollout into service by the end of 2024.

It follows the new fleet having hit a couple of key milestones in recent weeks.

However, chiefs at operator Nexus are still reluctant to publicly announce a more specific start date.

Three out of nine trains have already been delivered to the North East by manufacturer Stadler and have now completed the required mileage they need to during their testing phase.

The majority of the new fleet has now been built at Stadler's factory in Switzerland.

Mr Richardson added: "The daytime testing phase began in May, which is allowing for a process known as kilometre accumulation - putting the trains through their paces by simulating customer service.

“Three of the nine Stadler trains we have had delivered have now completed their kilometre accumulation. That process will continue and the next step will be the wider Metro driver training programme.

“Another major milestone has also recently been achieved with Stadler having now built more than half of the 46 new trains that we have on order. A total of 25 new trains are complete.

"Two more new trains will be getting delivered next month, and more deliveries are scheduled for October and November.”

As well as being more reliable and environmentally friendly than the current carriages, the new trains will boast a range of modern features such as air conditioning, USB charging points, and improved CCTV.

Their arrival has long been heralded as a critical moment for the Metro and the North East’s transport infrastructure more generally, with the network having been plagued for years with delays and cancellations as a result of trains breaking down.

Mr Richardson continued: “The roll out of the new Metro trains is the biggest and most complex project in our history.

"Before entering customer service, around 22,000 standards and clauses must be complied with, 90,000 individual tests completed, and 480 of our people given extensive training.

"All of this is to ensure that the new trains work safely and seamlessly with Metro’s 60 stations and 77km of track."

Want a quick and expert briefing on the biggest news stories? Listen to our latest podcasts to find out What You Need To Know...