Tyne and Wear Metro services are running between Park Lane and South Hylton once again after Network Rail engineers completed the rebuild of a flood damaged electrical substation. Services were last able to run on this section on Thursday 17th November but following heavy rainfall the substation received significant damage which, after assessment, required a full rebuild.
The first Metro trains ran from Park Lane to South Hylton on Friday 13th January after a gap of very nearly two months. The substation was located at Pallion and the structure had to be rebuilt after the mix of water and electricity sparked a fire which meant it was no longer safe to use.
The work was undertaken by Network Rail engineers and this has seen 1.3 miles of new cables that feed electricity to the overhead power lines, a major rewiring of the equipment that critically monitors the train-powering electric wires and finally a rigorous period of testing.
Martin Errington, Infrastructure Maintenance Engineer at Network Rail, said: “This hasn’t been an easy task – the water damage was so significant that the team needed to completely rebuild the facility before trains could run normally again. We’ve been working alongside industry specialists to restore power quickly and safely, and I’m really pleased that passengers can use this section of the Metro line again. We’re grateful to passengers, businesses and the community for bearing with us over the last few months. The new substation will help to offer a more reliable Metro service for many years to come, so that people can continue to enjoy the great connections it provides.”
John Alexander, Metro Operations Director, commented: “We are pleased to resume services on the line between Park Lane and South Hylton, and are grateful to our customers for their patience while Network Rail have undertaken the repairs. There was significant water damage to the substation at Pallion, which has been completely rebuilt on schedule by Network Rail in what was a complex project. The restoration of the power supply at Pallion substation will also enable us to resume a 12 minute Metro service frequency on the entire Sunderland line.”
And the service only lasted about a hour before a plastic sheet got entangled in the OHL near Pallion which resulted in a train suffering a damaged pantograph and the service being suspended again for a few hours.