A recent episode of Michael Portillo's latest travelogues about railway journeys featured the Tyne and Wear Metro when Michael travelled from Central Station in Newcastle to Tynemouth on the North Tyneside coast.
This series is titled “Great Coastal Railway Journeys” and is being broadcast daily at 6.30 pm on BBC2, and all the episodes can be see on BBC iPlayer.
The series started on 22 January, and the episode starring the Metro was broadcast last Monday, 7 February.
Michael Portillo is a former Conservative MP and Minister of State for Transport.
During his journey he marvelled at Metro's 60 stations and 40 years of operations, and spoke fondly of the view of the track afforded to him through the front windows from the train's front passenger seats.
At Tynemouth station, Portillo explained how the station was originally built in 1882 for the North Eastern Railway, but was switched to serve Metro trains in the 1980s.
He described the station's Victorian architecture as ‘breathtaking'. He said: “Tynemouth has one of the finest glass roofs in Britain and recently it has been superbly restored – and it is a gem.”
A further trip on the Metro from South Shields to Central will appear later in the series, along with a trip across the Tyne on the Shields Ferry.
The series was filmed in August 2021. In week one, broadcast from 22 to 28 January,
Michael travelled from Dunbar to Peterhead. During week two from 31 January to 4 February, he travelled Inverness to Orkney Island. Week three from 7 to 11 February, takes Michael from Tynemouth to Berwick-on-Tweed.
Metro Operations Director, John Alexander, said: “We were delighted to welcome Michael Portillo on Metro for his latest television series.
“He really showcased how important the Metro is to the communities that we serve, and he reflected brilliantly on our proud railway heritage in North East England.”
He should try out the new Tyne and Wear Metro Class 555s once they have been built and delivered. And ready to be in service from next year.