On Sunday, 18th May, essential work on the overhead lines in the Metro tunnels under Newcastle City Centre will commence.

The vital work will mean the closure of both Metro lines south of South Gosforth from 9 pm.

Nexus, which manages Metro, is replacing an important section of overhead equipment in the tunnel between Monument and Haymarket.

Due to the section of the line they are working on, a wider section of the line is required to be closed.

The work needed to be carried out as soon as possible and has been scheduled for Sunday evening to avoid lots of disruption, as they typically have fewer customers on Sundays.

Services will continue operating from South Gosforth to Airport, and to St James via the North Tyneside coast. However, timetables may be altered to accommodate the work.

Customers are advised to check before travel and leave extra time for travel, as there will be buses in place of trains from 9 pm.

A bus will run from South Gosforth and South Shields, in place of the last Metro services running between 9 pm and 10 pm.

Metro tickets and passes will be valid on these buses, with drivers also selling tickets for those without.

Changes to the timetable and replacement bus service information can be found on their website.

“Customers are advised to plan ahead and be aware of the planned Metro line closures from 9pm on Sunday night, 18 May.

“Buses will be replacing trains over a wide area of the Metro system, from South Gosforth to South Shields and South Gosforth to South Hylton.

“This is so that we can carry out urgent and essential preventative maintenance work on a section of overhead line equipment in our tunnels beneath Newcastle.

“The scale of the works that we need to undertake is such that we can’t pack it all into a night shift and will require the early evening closure. We’ve scheduled these works for a Sunday night so that it affects as few customers as possible. We’re sorry for any inconvenience it causes.

“A frequent replacement bus service will be running from Regent Centre interchange. The buses will operate from there down to South Shields and South Hylton. Please allow extra time if you’re travelling through the affected areas.”

Stuart Clarke, Infrastructure Director at Nexus