Its often been mentioned in press releases and the like that the first of the new trains for the Tyne and Wear Metro is due to enter service by the end of 2024 (well, that’s been the case for a while since the introduction was delayed from last year) and now it appears that is edging closer to being the case, according to a report on Newcastle Chronicle website.
In an interview with the Local Democracy Service, Nexus Managing Director, Cathy Massarellla, said that she is the most confident she has been that the entry into service of the first of the trains is now mere weeks away.
Originally slated for an entry into service in Summer 2023, there have been delays to the project with technical issues experienced in relation to the traction system but these have now been resolved and testing (including daytime) has been underway for some months. More recently driver training has commenced and the article confirms that the first drivers passed their course at the start of November.
Whilst we are not yet at the stage of a date for the entry into service, there are positive indications that it will not be far off and there is a confidence this will be by the end of 2024.
When the first train does enter service it will not likely be running to a set pattern day after day as it will dependent on those drivers trained and their shifts.
Stadler are building 46 new state of the art trains for the Metro. So far, 13 have been delivered to the northeast with a total of around 30 now completed at Stadler’s factory in Switzerland. They should be into service within two years.