Nexus confirms how many new trains are expected to be in use by close of 2025

Bosses at operator Nexus expect around 23 of the Swiss-built carriages to come into service over the next 12 months.

The first of the new trains finally welcomed passengers on board for its maiden voyage in December, months later than planned after a series of setbacks.

Metro passengers continue to be frustrated by delays and cancellations to services caused by the system’s failure-prone old trains, which have been running for its entire 45-year history, and which have struggled in this week’s freezing temperatures.

While the one operational new train was itself taken out of service for a few hours on Wednesday morning due to what was described as a “minor” fault, it is hoped that the new fleet will deliver far more reliable and comfortable journeys. The units, built by manufacturing giant Stadler, have modern features like air conditioning, mobile phone charging points, and a sliding step at every door.

They are expected to be 15 times more reliable than the existing Metro trains and are equipped with on-board battery technology that can help them keep running if overhead power lines fail.

Nexus told the Local Democracy Reporting Service that the next of the new trains is due to be in use by the end of March, with 23 units in service by the end of this year – 50% of the new fleet. On average, passengers should see one or two new trains per month coming in over the next two years.

As that happens, the old trains will be gradually taken out of the Metro timetable and stripped for any useful parts. Only 25 of the Metro’s circa 200 drivers are currently qualified to drive the new fleet, with that training programme due to continue into early 2026.

Currently, the single operational new train is travelling on the system during weekdays only on the St James to South Shields section of the network.  

Paul Welford, Major Projects Director at Nexus, said: “We are excited to be introducing the new Tyne and Wear Metro fleet, which is going to be transformative for our customers in terms of quality, comfort and reliability. These new trains are a game-changer and mark the start of a new era for the Metro system.

“The roll out of the new Stadler trains is currently ongoing. We anticipate having 23 new trains in customer service this year, which is half of the 46 that we have on order.

“The first new train went into service on December 18 last year and we will now progress with our plan for a phased roll out of the new trains. This will happen over the next two years until we have all 46 new trains in customer service. In parallel with new train introduction, we will gradually phase out our existing fleet with associated recycling as appropriate. 

“In terms of delivery, we have 13 new trains in North East England at the moment and Stadler will be delivering around 20 more new ones from their factory in Switzerland this calendar year.

“This is the biggest project in Metro’s history and the introduction of new trains is a culmination of many months of detailed commissioning on our network. We are working incredibly hard with our colleagues at Stadler to ensure each new train is ready to operate safely for our customers with positive feedback on our new fleet so far.

“We’re also making good progress with our Metro driver training programme. This continues in parallel with the roll out the new fleet.”