All 46 of the new Stadler trains have now been delivered to the Tyne and Wear Metro. The final three units were delivered in the early hours of Friday 20th and Saturday 21st February 2026 – just one week short of exactly two years since the first of the trains arrived from Switzerland.
The final three deliveries again arrived on the network in two parts. As has been the case since August 2025 the movement from Switzerland saw three of the units moved by rail together as far as York where they were then split. The first two then arrived at the Network Rail/Tyne and Wear Metro border at Pelaw in the very hours of Friday 20th February with the other remaining at York until being collected the next day and arriving at Pelaw 24 hours later.
The final three arrivals 555 022, 555 029 and 555 046, with the highest numbered of all being the single delivery on 21st February 2026. Although many of the early deliveries saw RailAdventure HST power cars doing the honours, these latest arrivals (as many of the more recent ones have as well) saw a couple of class 20s diesels complete the movement. 20 205 and 20 007 the locos in charge, meaning that some of the oldest working rolling stock on the UK national rail network were moving the newest!
Once delivered to Pelaw the Stadler trains were then moved by an already commissioned member of the fleet to Gosforth Depot where work will take place to get them ready for service.
Of the now 46 units which are in the northeast, 30 have already been used in service for at least a day. That obviously leaves a further 16 to be commissioned and then enter service. (For full details of the dates of delivery and entry into service of the fleet please see our Tyne and Wear Metro Fleet List).
And for every good news story about new units being delivered there is the reverse side of the coin – and that is the continued run-down of the original Metrocar fleet. With engineering works taking place on the network during the February school half-term break there have been days where none of the Metrocars have been used, and whilst its likely they will still see use when this work is completed the end must certainly be nigh for them to see regular use.
A further scrapping move also took place during the past week. 4090 headed off on one final journey on Wednesday 19th February 2026 – the 65th to go for scrap. It leaves just 23 Metrocars on the Metro, not all of which are operational and the scrap moves are expected to continue over the coming weeks.