There will be no Tyne and Wear Metro services running between Benton and North Shields from Monday 31st July until Friday 4th August to allow for the replacement of overhead wire as part of the overall £36.4 million wire renewal programme.
The focus of the work during this five day period will be the 2km section between Tynemouth and Monkseaton but a larger area needs to be closed as the power needs to be switched off to allow the work to take place. As well as the overhead renewal there will be signalling upgrades, track renewal, station improvements and vegetation clearance taking place.
Stuart Clarke, Metro Infrastructure Director, said: “This is vital investment in new Metro infrastructure in North Tyneside ahead of welcoming our new trains into service. The work to replace such a long stretch of overhead line can only be carried out safely during a major line closure. This will be in place for five full days, 31 July to 4 August. Customers travelling through the affected area are advised to plan journeys in advance and allow time to make their journeys.
“I understand this causes some disruption, and we always try to make closures as short as possible and to provide a good replacement bus service when there are lines affected, but it is necessary to make sure that the Metro system is fit for the future.
“This is the same wire that was installed 40 years ago when Metro was first opened so it has become worn and more prone to failure. If it fails then that becomes disruptive to the services that we provide, so by renewing the wire this is an investment in helping to ensure that the Metro stays as reliable as possible for years to come.
“The work involves the old wires being unclipped and then taken down and then the new wire is put up. We then do a process called registration which involves getting the wire into the precise locations that it needs to be in before we do tests and assurances so that we can allow the trains to start running again.”
During the closure a frequent replacement bus will run – 900 – calling at or near all Metro stations North Shields-Four Lane Ends.
The overall overhead wire renewal project will see 106km of wire replaced. The project started in 2011 and is expected to be complete in 2025.