Final new Metro train handed over to complete new £362m fleet
“These fantastic trains will serve the people of Tyne and Wear for many years to come”
All 46 new Metro trains have been officially handed over for customer service after completion of testing marking the final phase of the £362m project.
Metro operator Nexus said it was the culmination of the biggest project in the history of the Tyne and Wear Metro.
Stadler, the Swiss train manufacturer, formally handed over the 46th and final new Class 555 Metro train to Nexus this month - two months ahead of an end of 2026 target date.
The handing over of the new train also brings to an end the transition from old Metro train fleet which had been serving Tyne & Wear for the last 45 years.
In achieving the latest project milestone, Nexus has completed 90,000 individual tests across the new fleet, trained 480 employees and put the fleet through a total of 37,000 kilometres of on track testing runs.
Cathy Massarella, Managing Director of Nexus, said: “I’m pleased to confirm that we now have all 46 new Tyne and Wear Metro trains formally handed over to us by Stadler. This marks the final phase of the biggest project in Metro’s history.
“We set a target for the end of this year to achieve this milestone, and we’ve managed to get there a bit sooner than that.
“My thanks go to everyone at Nexus and to the team at Stadler for all their hard work on the project. It’s been a brilliant effort by everyone involved. Many thousands of hours have gone into the testing process.
“We are now in the final phase of the most significant project since the Metro network was first built. It’s been a complex and detailed programme, from the announcement of the funding in 2017, to the start of the build process, and then roll out into service for our customers.”
All 46 new Metro trains have been hauled to the UK across mainland Europe by rail from the Stadler factory in Switzerland– a journey of 1,800 miles.
Lucius Gerig, Executive Vice President Division Switzerland of Stadler, said: “I’m incredibly proud that we have delivered all 46 trains ahead of schedule, and grateful to everyone who made it possible. This achievement reflects the excellent collaboration between Nexus and Stadler. These fantastic trains will serve the people of Tyne and Wear for many years to come.”
Paul Patrick, Managing Director, Stadler Rail Service UK, added: “This is an important moment in a long-term project but the hard work doesn’t stop. Our partnership with Nexus continues for the long-term with Stadler colleagues at the Gosforth depot working around the clock to maintain, repair and prepare the new trains for service every day.”
Designed following an extensive customer consultation which resulted in over 23,000 responses, the new Metro trains include linear seating, mobile charging points, climate control, 44 CCTV cameras, battery technology, and new accessibility standards, including an automatic sliding step at each set of doors to allow for seamless boarding.
The last few units in the original Metro 599 train fleet were withdrawn from service in June this year.