The Tyne and Wear Metro’s newest rail maintenance vehicle has been named Ariana Grinder, in a playful nod to musician Ariana Grande, following an internal competition by Nexus.

The grinder is a road and rail going vehicle (RRV) that will be set to work across the Metro’s 77km network, grinding the top of the rails to remove defects and restore the rail after wear and tear. This extends the service life of both the rails and train wheels, while helping to deliver smoother journeys for customers.

The specialised machine is manufactured by Möser Maschinenbau GmbH, a German company that has produced rail-processing equipment since the 1990s.

Rail grinders are widely used across mainline railways, light rail, tramways, metros and industrial tracks. Ariana Grinder is part of a modernisation in maintenance capability within the Tyne and Wear Metro, supporting reliability and performance across the network.

“The RRV allows us to get through a greater volume of rail profiling work. It’s a task that happens when the Metro system is closed to the public, so they don’t often get to see it.

“The grinder is capable of driving along the tracks, where it deploys a spindle which grinds the top of the rails. This makes it nice and smooth, eradicating any tiny imperfections in the steel.

“We have given it a first run out during our recent major renewal programme in South Tyneside and it went really well. We are already looking forward to using it on other parts of the Metro system. It’s a great investment in rail maintenance technology.”

Stuart Clarke, Infrastructure Director at Nexus.