When the (re-)phased introduction of the new trains on the Tyne and Wear Metro was announced earlier this year, Nexus committed to having 23 of the 46 trains on order in service. And they have now proudly announced that has been achieved, with the press release states that 23 are available for service, although according to our records there have now been 27 which have been used in passenger service (so presumably some are currently unavailable).
Kim McGuinness, North East Mayor, said: “I know Metro passengers want every train they catch to be a new one, and so do I. I want Metro to provide local people with a world-class service once again, and we’re investing millions to make that happen. Today is another step forward.
“The teams at Nexus and Stadler are pulling out all the stops to make this a reality but I have asked them to accelerate this programme so that by this summer you won’t see old trains at your station.”
Cathy Massarella, Managing Director at Nexus, added: “I’m pleased to say that we have met our target of having half the new Metro train fleet available for customer service before the end of this year. This is another significant milestone for the project, which is the biggest and most complex in Metro’s history.
“We put the first Stadler Metro train into service in the same week in December last year, and now, one year on, we have delivered on our aim of reaching 23 out of the 46 new trains on our order available for service.
“A huge amount of work has gone into the roll out programme. That hard work will continue from here so that we can get all the new trains in service next year. The new fleet is transformative for our customers, and also for our owns teams who work on the system every day to keep it running. It provides a bright future for Metro, ensuring that the service will be around to serve our region for many years to come.
“My thanks go to all of the team at Nexus and at Stadler for helping us to deliver this latest milestone, which comes just a few days after we confirmed the completion of our driver training programme on the new fleet.”
Whilst we are celebrating 23 of the 46 being in service, so far 27 have actually been noted in passenger service so Nexus have actually exceeded their plan! Since our last update one more train has entered service with 555 040 being used for the first time on 18th December 2025.
The following have now been used in service: 555 001-555 009, 555 011-555 020, 555 021, 555 027, 555 028, 555 031, 555 035, 555 038-555 040.
- And as always with some good news about new trains comes further news about scrappings of the old units with 4044 heading off on 16th December 2025. That makes it 53 having gone for scrap, well over half of the original fleet of 90.