The Tyne and Wear Metro train has achieved its target of having half of its new train fleet in operational service by the end of this year, just one year after introducing the first of the new trains.

Twenty-three new Metro trains are now in service out of the 46 that Nexus ordered from the Swiss train manufacturer, Stadler.

The plan is for all 46 trains in the new Metro fleet to be available for service by the end of next year.

With 23 trains now available, that is near the required 28 to run a typical weekday Metro service. With the new trains increasing availability, customers are likely to encounter them more frequently.

As well as the 23 trains in service, Stadler has delivered another 17, and all 46 of the new trains should be on Tyneside early next year. Before each train is signed off for operational service, it undergoes testing and commissioning; the drivers also undergo training on the new trains.

With the increased availability of the new trains, the old Metro fleet, which is 45 years old, is being gradually phased out and decommissioned.

Kim McGuinness, North East Mayor, commented that he and Metro passengers want every train they catch to be a new one, and for Metro to provide local people with a world-class service once again. Millions are being invested to make that happen, and this is another step forward, with the teams at Nexus and Stadler pulling out all the stops to make this a reality, and have been asked to accelerate this programme so that by next summer, there will be no old trains in service.

“I’m pleased to say that we have met our target of having half the new Metro train fleet available for customer service before the end of this year. This is another significant milestone for the project, which is the biggest and most complex in Metro’s history.

We put the first Stadler Metro train into service in the same week in December last year, and now, one year on, we have delivered on our aim of reaching 23 out of the 46 new trains on our order available for service. A huge amount of work has gone into the rollout programme. That hard work will continue from here so that we can get all the new trains in service next year.

The new fleet is transformative for our customers, and also for our own teams who work on the system every day to keep it running. It provides a bright future for Metro, ensuring that the service will be around to serve our region for many years to come. My thanks go to all of the team at Nexus and at Stadler for helping us to deliver this latest milestone, which comes just a few days after we confirmed the completion of our driver training programme on the new fleet.”

Cathy Massarella, Nexus Managing Director