An empty shop unit at Monument Metro Station has been converted into a pop-up museum which is celebrating the history of the Tyne and Wear Metro network. The exhibit opened to the public on Friday 3rd July and will be open on selected dates to showcase how the Metro network became a reality.
The museum features fascinating archive photography including photos of the construction phase and its Royal opening in 1981. It also celebrates the role of the outgoing Metrocar fleet, which ran their last guaranteed services at the end of June 2026.
Jamie Robson, Nexus Stakeholder Relations Officer, came up with the idea. He said: “Our new pop-up museum celebrates the amazing history of the Tyne and Wear Metro. The unit was the ideal location for the exhibit. It has helped to breathe new life into the facility.
“The displays show the most iconic archive images across the five decades that we’ve had a metro system, from when it was built, to its many Royal visits.
“It’s a fascinating trip down memory lane and is a reminder how significant it was for our region to get an underground light rail system, which, at the time, was the first of its kind outside of London.
“We are looking forward to our customers popping into the museum over the summer to have a look around. Monument is the busiest station on the Metro system so we are expecting it to be popular.
“It also comes at a time when we’ve just had a week of special commemorative runs in service of the old Class 599 Metro fleet. The exhibit is a fantastic way to look back at their amazing life of service.”
The museum opened for the first time on Friday 3rd July and will now be open as follows:
- Saturday 4th July 1100-1400
- Thursday 9th July 1030-1330
- Friday 10th July 1030-1330
- Saturday 11th July 1100-1400
Further opening dates will follow over the summer with more details to come.