The new train depot at Howdon, for the Tyne and Wear Metro, is now nearing completion.
Nexus is building the new facility at Howdon in North Tyneside and is set to open officially this Summer.
The site used to be a landfill site but has now been transformed. Now, new tracks and overhead lines are in place, and a new maintenance shed has been built and fitted out with new facilities.
Howdon is set to be used for cleaning and preparation of up to a quarter of the Metro fleet, an
The depot will be used whilst the Gosforth Depot in Newcastle is rebuilt, with the £70m project beginning this Summer.
The development has been funded as part of the £362m Metro fleet replacement project.
Project Manager, Tabitha Callaghan, said: “We are now close to the completion of the Howdon Metro depot.
“The new tracks, the overhead lines and the new building itself are all just about ready to welcome trains.
“The site will be vital for the future of Metro because there won't be enough space for all of the trains when work starts on the main depot rebuilding project at Gosforth.
“Howdon gives us the capacity to stable up to one quarter of the Metro train fleet there and carry out light maintenance work at that location.
“There are new facilities for Metro drivers and maintenance staff who in the future will need to book on for duty at Howdon.”
The transition to the new main Tyne & Wear Metro depot at Gosforth will take five years.
John Fenwick, Director of Finance and Resources at Nexus, said: “The Metro Flow project will require another four trains on top of the 42 we have already placed on order with Stadler Rail. This fantastic new depot facility in North Tyneside will provide us with additional maintenance flexibility well into the future.”
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