Nexus has revealed the colour scheme for the Tyne & Wear Metro's new train fleet.
The new vibrant yellow colour scheme for the £362m fleet features in a new video released today. Nexus who own and manage the Tyne & Wear Metro have also launched a public consultation on the interior design of the trains.
The new fleet of trains are set to enter service in 2023 and are to be built by Swiss manufacturer Stadler. The Metro first opened 40 years ago and the new colour scheme is a nod to the iconic PTE livery.
Customer Services Director at Nexus, Huw Lewis, said: “This is a hugely exciting moment for Metro as we unveil the colour scheme for our new trains.
“We have used the iconic yellow of Metro to give the trains a vibrant, modern feel accentuated by black and pale grey along the train sides – providing clean delineation of train doors to modern accessibility standards.
“The colour scheme is built round Metro's strong brand heritage and refers back to the original ‘PTE' Metro livery, while taking the system into the future. It has been refined through feedback from passengers and the technical input of the people who work on Metro – in cleaning, maintenance, marketing and accessibility roles.
“We have made sure our passengers have had a major role in the design of Metro's new fleet from the start, and that continues today as we ask them what to help with all those crucial little details of the carriage interiors.
“We had hoped to take a mock-up cross section of a carriage around the five local authority areas, but pandemic restrictions make this impossible. Instead we will be creating a VR-supported experience at the Rail Academy where we can invite key passenger groups in a covid-secure way. This will be led by Nexus supported by Newcastle University's Open Lab team.”
Rob Baxter, UK managing director for Stadler Rail Service UK, added: “The unveiling of the livery for the new Tyne and Wear Metro trains is an early, yet significant landmark in the process to deliver the new fleet. We applaud Nexus for involving passengers in the design, which both acknowledges its heritage and embraces its future.”
The Metro Futures programme is a series of online events which allow passengers to see a virtual model of the trains and have a say on the interior features which have been planned, including displays, cycle and wheelchair spaces.
Senior researcher at Open Lab, Simon Bowen, said “We've built some exciting interactive tools so people can explore the inside of the new trains in a full 360 degree immersive experience, pick out the finishing touches and think about how the trains meet the needs of different people.”
For more details on the consultation events, visit https://metrofutures.org.uk/ and have your say on the new fleet design.
42 trains are to be built by Stadler for Nexus, being delivered up to 2024. Stadler will look after the maintenance and servicing of the new trains for 35 years.
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Will it be classified in the Class 7xx category. New trains for Tyne & Wear Metro is definite.
Have to say it does look really good that is to replace the existing Tyne & Wear Metro stocks. Nice to see that Stadler that are manufacturing new rolling stocks including Glasgow Subway, Tyne & Wear Metro, Class 777 Merseyrail, Class 745 & Class 755 Greater Anglia, Class 231 & Class 756 Transport for Wales.
And maybe they could manufacture new London Underground tube stocks for the Bakerloo Line, Central Line and/or Waterloo & City Line. And maybe manufacture new units for Southern to replace the Class 455 & Class 313 and to work on the Uckfield Line and Marshlink Line with batteries fitted.