After a week of disruption Tyne and Wear Metro services are now running through to South Hylton again after Network Rail engineers repaired some of the overhead line damage. However, a reduced frequency will be running for the next “few weeks” as extra parts are required to allow a full repair to be completed.
The overhead was brought down by a freight train through a tunnel at Sunderland Station on Friday 22nd May with severe damage caused. With engineers having been working hard over the past few days it was possible for a service to resume from 1000 on Friday 29th May. But rather than the usual 12 minute frequency services are only able to run every 24 minutes for now.
Huw Lewis, Customer Services Director at Nexus, said: “Metro services are now running all the way from Pelaw to South Hylton. Due to the scale of the repairs that our colleagues at Network Rail are undertaking we only have part of the line back in use, meaning we have to operate a reduced frequency of service on the Sunderland line. Network Rail are continuing to work on the damaged overhead lines at Sunderland station, but they anticipate it being a few weeks before this is completed. This is largely due to a wait for special component that they need to fix the overhead lines. Metro customers who need to use the service between Pelaw and South Hylton should allow extra time for their journeys until this issue resolved. We’re sorry for the disruption and inconvenience this is causing.”
From Monday 1st June services will run as follows:
Pelaw to South Hylton – every 24 minutes daytime
Airport to Pelaw – every 12 minutes daytime
Airport to South Hylton – every 30 minutes evening service
Only platform 1 at St Peter’s and platform 2 at Sunderland will be open for passengers during this continued disruption.