School pupils invited to help design Metro of the future

The competition – the Metro Invention Challenge – as part of the Big Metro Takeover which is celebrating the network’s 40th anniversary year.

As part pf the project, primary school children in years 4 to 6 will learn about the system and help to bring it to life by inventing new and fun ways to use it.

Nexus, the public body which owns and manages Metro, will bring the best ideas to life by graphic artists and exhibit them for thousands of commuters to see.

The Metro Takeover programme involves major regional arts organisations including Sunderland Culture, Dance City and Cultural Spring run community projects and commissions to be showcased at stations across the busy urban transit system.

Nexus youth liaison office, Deborah Rodenby, said: “Metro is at the heart of the communities that it serves and we are delighted to be taking our Metro Takeover out into schools.

“This is a great opportunity for the pupils to come up with some creative and innovative designs. It might be a new feature to help our passengers or something that saves us when there are delays.

“We are looking forward to seeing what the work that the children produce and the best ones will go on public display on the Metro system.

The Metro Takeover is the system’s biggest ever community arts programme and, through to the spring of 2022, aims to showcase dance, song, music, and visual arts projects by local people and organisations.