The commemorative plaque that Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II unveiled when she officially opened the Tyne and Wear Metro in 1981 has been restored to its former glory as a mark of respect following her death in September.
Two track engineering apprentices – Daniel Noble, 19 of South Shields, and Oliver Humpries, 19 of Seaham – were tasked with cleaning the plaque which is located at Gateshead Interchange. The two cleaned 40 years of built-up dirt and detritus from the plaque and could soon see their reflections in it.
The plaque had been unveiled by the Queen on 6th November 1981 when she visited Tyneside to officially open the Metro.
Huw Lewis, Customer Services Director at Nexus, said: “It’s wonderful to see the plaque that the Queen unveiled in 1981 shining brightly once again. Our apprentices have done a cracking job getting it all cleaned, polished, and looking as good as new. It now looks exactly like it was that day in November 1981 when scores of staff, media and civic dignitaries gathered to watch Her Majesty officially declare the Tyne and Wear Metro open on what was a historic day for our region.”