I’m retiring after 40 years of driving Tyne and Wear Metro trains
One of the Tyne and Wear Metro’s longest serving drivers has retired.
Brian Bulmer, from Hebburn, has called time on his 40-year long career of driving trains on the Tyne and Wear Metro network.
The 67-year-old started driving Metros in 1986 and has described the train cab as the “best office in the world”.
He is among a unique and declining group of drivers who were there in the early 1980s when the Metro system was new.
Brian has reflected on his four-decade long career and revealed his favourite moment was when he met his wife, Christine.
He said: “I’ve absolutely loved my time in the role. It’s been fantastic. I feel emotional to be going. I’ll miss it.
“I just felt that now was the right time to retire after so many years.
“There aren’t that many of the original team of drivers from the 1980s who are left now. I think I might be one of the last ones.
“Above all my experiences the one I treasure the most, of course, is meeting my wife Christine at a work social event in 2010.”
Having spent ten years prior to driving trains as a bus driver, Brian has done 50 years in the public transport industry.
When the Sunderland line opened in 2002, he played a key role in getting Metro train crews prepared for taking their trains on to the Network Rail line.
As well as being a driver, he has also spent 20 years as a coach and assessor, mentoring new drivers to get them through their test.
Brian added: “When you add in my time as a bus driver, I’ve done 50 years in the public transport industry. That’s not too bad.
“The Metro, for me, is the best office in the world. I enjoyed it so much it never felt like a job, it was a way of life. I’ve never been one for sitting behind a desk.
“It was an amazing experience to join Metro in the mid 1980s, when it was all new and much talked about. A lot of bus drivers and former British Rail workers made up the driver team in the early days.
“Now you see people applying from all walks of life. It’s a great job.”
Support your Shields Gazette and become a subscriber today. Enjoy unlimited access to local news, the latest football stories and new puzzles every day.
With a digital subscription, you can see fewer ads, enjoy faster load times, and get access to exclusive newsletters and content.