Tyne and Wear Metro bids to overcome setbacks as it introduces new trains

It will be 2027 at the earliest before Tyne and Wear Metro’s transformation is complete, with only 15% of its drivers so far trained on the new Stadler Class 555 units.

The system is facing some major challenges in the coming months. Its reduced-frequency timetable is set to continue because it has had to lay aside almost a quarter of its 40-year rolling stock. Many units have suffered terminal failure, and others are being kept going by recovering spare parts.

On-time performance on the Metro has improved recently to 75% (compared with 61% a year earlier), because fewer services are running. But the next set of figures is expected to dip sharply, owing to major disruption last month caused by the enforced closure of tunnels which effectively cut the system in half.

Emergency repairs were carried out to stabilise the A167 dual carriageway flyover at Gateshead, which runs over the Metro, after fears of it collapsing.

But there have been wholesale cancellations because no services could run between Monument and Heworth from December 13. The situation was made worse as there are no maintenance facilities south of the River Tyne.

The lofty road bridge has now had emergency props placed around a defective pillar (it may never reopen), thereby allowing the Metro to reopen.

The Metro is still some way away from delivering its promised regular ten-minute interval service, which was a big factor in the dualling of the track on the South Shields line.

Operator Nexus withdrew some rush-hour services between Pelaw and Monkseaton in 2023, after admitting it did not have sufficient stock. Increasing the waiting gap from six minutes to 12 was also partly justified because passenger numbers were down, after COVID forced people to work from home.

There are now 13 new Class 555s in the North East, and Nexus says it aims to have 23 sets (half of the new £362 million fleet) in service by the end of this year. The next delivery from Stadler, in Switzerland, is planned for mid to late February.

A spokesman told RAIL: “It’s not the case that deliveries are slow. This is about the pace we expected, and it’s not the case that anything is connected to available space at Gosforth depot.”

The success of the first public outing, with unit 555021 between Monkseaton and Pelaw in December 18, heralds the start of the service rollout plan proper. Runs will take place on weekdays between St James to South Shields, when both train crews and support staff are available. A second diagram will be created before the end of March, and then one or two extra units will be employed on an irregular basis.

A Metro spokesman told RAIL: “We currently have circa 200 drivers, and have so far trained 25 drivers in Class 555 traction. The programme commenced in late 2024 and is planned to be complete early next year. In addition, there are other operational staff who require driver competencies as part of their role.”

South Gosforth depot, which is carrying out some ‘555’ modifications, believes that it can now start to manage an organised rundown of the old stock on a one-in, one-out basis, with regular scrapping once useful components have been recovered.

The policy of offering redundant vehicles to organisations for community use was reversed last year because it was considered impractical and too expensive.

Tyne and Wear Metro trains

Old stock

At the start of 2025, the Tyne and Wear Metro had reduced its fleet of 90 old units to just 69, with seven being taken out of traffic last year and put into store. Currently in service (69): 4003-06/08/09/11-21/23-36/ 38/39/41-45/47-49/53/54/ 57-59/61/63-69/71-75/78-82/ 84-86/89/90

Latest withdrawals (7):

4037/46/50/51/56/60/87 Accident damage (1): 4007 Stripped for parts (3): 4010/ 40/76

Scrapped (9): 4002/22/52/55/ 62/70/77/83/88

Reserved for the North Tyneside Steam Railway: 4001

New Class 555s

Delivered 2023 (7): 555001- 005/013/015

Delivered 2024 (6): 555006/ 007/020/021/027/028

In service (2): 555020/021 Completed but not in UK: 555008-012/014/016-019/ 022-026/029/030

Under construction (16): 555031-046