Tyne and Wear Metro

Predecessor

The present system uses much former railway infrastructure, mostly constructed between 1834 and 1882. One of the oldest parts being the Newcastle & North Shields Railway opened in 1839. In 1904, in response to tramway competition which was taking away passengers, the North Eastern Railway (NER) started electrifying parts of their local railway network north of the River Tyne with a 600V DC third-rail system, forming one of the earliest suburban electric networks, known as the Tyneside Electrics. In 1938, the line south of the Tyne between Newcastle and South Shields was also electrified. In the 1960s under British Rail, the decision was made to de-electrify the Tyneside Electric network, and convert it to diesel operation due to falling passenger numbers, and the cost of renewing life expired electrical infrastructure and rolling stock. The Newcastle-South Shields line was de-electrified in 1963, and the north Tyneside routes were de-electrified in 1967.^[2][12][13] This was widely viewed as a backward step, as the diesel trains were slower than the electric trains they replaced.^[14]

Planning and construction

In the early 1970s, the poor local transport system was identified as one of the main factors holding back the region's economy, and in 1971 a study was commissioned by the recently created Tyneside Passenger Transport Authority (now known as 'Nexus') into how the transport system could be improved; this study recommended reviving the badly run down former Tyneside Electric network by converting it into an electrified rapid transit system, which would include a new underground section to better serve the busy central areas of Newcastle and Gateshead, as it was felt that the existing rail network didn't serve these areas adequately. This new system was intended to be the core of a new integrated transport network, with buses acting as feeders to purpose-built transport interchanges. The plans were approved by the Tyneside Metropolitan Railway Bill which was passed by Parliament in July 1973. Around 70% of the funding for the scheme came from a central government grant, with the remainder coming from local sources.^[15][16][17]

The Queen Elizabeth II Bridge under construction in 1978.

Three railway lines, totalling 26 miles (42 km) were to be converted into Metro lines as part of the initial system; the North Tyneside Loop, and the Newcastle-South Shields branch (both of which were formerly part of the Tyneside Electric network) and a short stretch of the freight-only Ponteland branch, between South Gosforth and Bank Foot, which had not seen any passenger traffic since 1929.^[18][2][19] The converted railway lines were to be connected by around six miles (10 km) of new infrastructure, which was built both to separate the Metro from the existing rail network, and also to create the new underground routes under Newcastle and Gateshead. Around four miles (6.4 km) of the new infrastructure was in tunnels, while the remainder was either at ground level or elevated. The elevated sections included the Queen Elizabeth II Bridge; a new 350 metre bridge carrying the Metro across the River Tyne, and the 815 metre Byker Viaduct across the Ouseburn Valley, between Byker and Manors stations.^[2][15]

Construction work began in October 1974; this involved the construction of the new infrastructure, re-electrifying the routes with overhead line equipment, the upgrading or relocation of existing stations, and the construction of several new stations, some of which were underground. Originally it was intended to be opened in stages between 1979 and 1981,^[15] however the first part of the original network opened in August 1980, and the remainder opened in stages until March 1984.^[2][19] The final cost of the project in 1984 prices was £265 million (equivalent to £781,700,000 in 2018 prices^[20]).^[21]

Further extensions

Some extensions to the original system have since been built. A short 3.5-km extension from Bank Foot to Newcastle Airport was opened in 1991, using a further part of the former Ponteland branch.^[19][2]

In 2002 an 18.5-km extension was opened from Pelaw to South Hylton via Sunderland. Costing £100 million, this extension used part of the existing Durham Coast Line to Sunderland, but did not take it over; instead the line between Pelaw and Sunderland was adapted to allow a shared service between the Metro and the conventional rail services, becoming the first UK system to implement a form of the Karlsruhe model.^[4] Three intermediate stations on the route were rebuilt, and three new ones were added. Within Sunderland, 4.5 km of a former freight line which had been abandoned in 1984 was reused for the route between Sunderland station and South Hylton, becoming the second Metro segment to be built on a disused line.^[2][17]

Opening dates

The opening dates of the services and stations are as follows:^[2]

A Metrocar at Tynemouth in 1980, on the first part of the network to be opened.

Metric

Four Lane Ends, one of many transport interchanges built around a Metro station

The Tyne and Wear Metro was the first railway in the UK to operate using the metric system; all its speeds and distances are stated in metric units only.^[22]

Integration

When the Metro opened it was intended to form part of an integrated public transport system, with the local bus network reconfigured to act as 'feeders' for the Metro. Metro was intended to cover trunk journeys, while buses were reoriented toward shorter local trips, integrated with the Metro schedule, to bring passengers to and from Metro stations, using unified ticketing. Integration lasted until deregulation of bus routes in 1986. It is however still possible to buy Transfare tickets that combine a Metro and bus journey.^[16]

'Metro: All Change programme' Phase 1

Phase 1 saw new ticket machines and barriers installed at major stations such as Monument (pictured).

New ticket machines accepting notes and cards at all stations and barriers at 13 main stations were installed between 2011 and 2014. The modernisation of Haymarket station, funded through private development, was completed on 29 March 2010,^[23] and a new station at Simonside opened in March 2008. An upgrade of platforms at Sunderland and the modernisation of several other stations was included in this phase.

Lifts have been replaced at several Metro stations since 2009 as part of the programme. The programme also includes overhauling infrastructure including communications, track and overhead power lines, structures and embankments.

'Metro: All Change programme' Phase 2

A Metrocar in the new black and yellow livery adopted in 2015.

Refurbishment of 90 Metro trains and modernisation of 45 stations, a new communications system, overhaul and maintenance of structures such as bridges, tunnels, track and overhead power lines. North Shields station has also been rebuilt. This work started in 2010 and cost £255.3m. Refurbishment of the Metro trains commenced during the summer of 2010, with 4041 being the first one to undergo a nine-month rebuild;^[24] this included a new livery and a new interior.

'Metro: All Change programme' Phase 3

Procurement of a new fleet of Metrocar trains, a new signalling system, overhaul and maintenance of structures, track and overhead lines, and further station improvements. This work is scheduled to start in 2019. Funding for this phase has yet to be secured, and the scheme is being criticised due to the fact that the Metro fleet will be almost 40 years old when replacement begins, even though the fleet has an original design life of approximately 30 years. In October 2016 it was announced that Nexus was to submit a bid to the Department for Transport in order to gain funding for new trains.^[25][26]

Services

Daytime services on each line operate every 12 minutes: on the shared section between South Gosforth and Pelaw this rises to every six minutes. Services operate from around 5:30 until midnight. A full journey on the Green Line between Airport and South Hylton takes 67 minutes. The Yellow Line consists of the North Tyneside Loop, and the branch to South Shields; a full journey around the loop takes 54 minutes, and the full route from St James to South Shields takes 82 minutes.^[2] Metro is currently trialling provisions for storage of standard bicycles on services between Callerton Parkway and Jesmond^[28].

Regulations

In 2005 the penalty fare for travelling without a valid ticket was increased from £10 to £20.^[29] Smoking has been forbidden since opening; this was one of the first comprehensive smoking bans.^[30]

Proposed new fleet

Nexus have made replacing the ageing fleet of trains, which have been in constant service since 1980, a priority. Due to the advancing age of the fleet, reliability problems have become increasingly common, resulting in breakdowns and cancellations of services. Nexus have stated that, unless a new fleet of trains is available by the end of 2021, widespread cuts will have to be made to peak time services.^[36] In 2016 plans were unveiled to secure funding for a new £550 million replacement fleet, with a target for them to be in service by the early 2020s.^[37]

In November 2017, Chancellor of the Exchequer Philip Hammond announced that the Government would provide £337 million towards the new fleet.^[38] The proposed new fleet would consist of 84 trains to replace the existing 90-train fleet, as Nexus believe that the improved reliability of the newer trains would allow them to operate the same service levels with fewer trains. These are proposed to have longitudinal seating instead of the 2+2 bench seating arrangement of the present fleet, and a full width drivers cab as opposed to the smaller driving booth of the existing trains.^[36] The proposed new fleet is planned to have dual voltage capability, able to operate on the Metro's existing 1.5 kV DC electrification system and also the 25 kV AC used on the national rail network, to allow for expansion of Metro service into underutilised National Rail lines. Battery technology is also being considered.^[39][40][36]

On 17 September 2018, Nexus announced that five companies had been selected to bid for the contract to produce the new fleet. The shortlisted bidders are Bombardier Transportation, CAF, Hitachi, Stadler Rail and a consortium of Australian company Downer EDI Rail and China's CRRC Changchun Railway Vehicles. ^[41] CAF are offering their Civity platform in their proposal for the fleet. Nexus aim to select a preferred bidder by the end of 2018.

Stations

Whitley Bay Metro station, one of the network's former railway stations.

The 60 stations on the Metro vary widely in character; some are former railway stations, while others were purpose-built for the Metro. Most of the stations are above ground, but several in central Newcastle and Gateshead are underground, namely Central Station (under Newcastle railway station) Jesmond, Haymarket, Monument, Manors, St James and Gateshead. On the Sunderland extension, Park Lane and Sunderland stations also have underground platforms.^[8]

Three of the stations have interchanges with National Rail services: Central, Heworth and Sunderland, which uniquely is the only station in Britain where light and heavy rail services use the same platforms.^[8]

All Metro stations are unstaffed, with the exception of the underground stations, which are required to be staffed by law. All stations are equipped with ticket machines, shelters, information displays, next-train indicators and passenger information/emergency help-points.^[8]

Metro installed ticket barriers at 13 stations on the network during a modernisation programme in 2013–2014, while the remaining stations have no fixed ticket controls. Despite this, the Tyne and Wear Metro has the third-highest level of passenger income per year (£45.2 million in 2013/2014) of the eight light rail systems in England.^[42] Checks are made by roving patrols of inspectors. Ticket machines that accept coins, notes and credit/debit cards were introduced during the modernisation programme.

Metro pioneered the playing of classical music in some of its stations to deter vandalism. In 1998 Frederick Delius's Incidental Music to Hassan was chosen by Metro to be played over its public address system as a deterrent to vandals. The Director General of Nexus was quoted as saying: "The aim is not to soothe but to provide a background of music that people who we are aiming at don't actually like and so they move away. It's been pretty successful." In 2005 the London Underground began to follow Metro's example.^[43]

Wallsend station, with signs in Latin.

Tunnels

Map of the central Newcastle and Gateshead section of the Metro. Metro routes are in red, and dotted red lines are tunnel sections.

Metro tunnel on the north-south line under Newcastle during construction.

Under Newcastle city centre, two routes run underground at right angles to each other, and intersect at Monument Metro station which has four platforms on two levels. One route, shared by the Yellow and Green lines, runs from north to south. It heads underground at Jesmond Metro station, and runs south via Haymarket, Monument and Central Station before rising above ground to cross the Queen Elizabeth II Bridge over the Tyne. It then enters another tunnel running under Gateshead town centre, serving Gateshead Interchange, before rises above ground again between Gateshead and Gateshead Stadium.^[48]

A second underground route, part of the Yellow line, runs from east to west, diving underground from the east under the East Coast Main Line before serving Manors, then Monument (interchanging with the north-south route) and then terminating at St James.^[49] Yellow Line trains running from St James pass through Monument station twice, once eastbound through the east-west platforms, and then, after running around the North Tyneside Loop, southbound through the north-south platforms before running to South Shields.^[2] Metro therefore, is one of the few rapid-transit system in the world with a "pretzel" configuration, in which a line crosses over itself and trains pass through the same station twice at different platforms. Other examples exist on the current Sofia Metro in Bulgaria ^[27][4] and the past Vancouver SkyTrain routing in Canada before October 2016.

A short spur line, partly in tunnel, runs from Manors to Jesmond; this line is used for empty stock movements only, and has no passenger service. Before the Metro tunnels were created, it was part of the main line route to Newcastle railway station and connected to the main line at Manors railway station.^[48]

The tunnels were constructed in the late 1970s, using mining techniques, and were constructed as single-track tubes with a diameter of 4.75 metres.^[2] The tunnels under Newcastle were mechanically bored through boulder clay and lined with cast iron or concrete segments. The tunnel under Gateshead was bored through sandstone and excavated coal seams. Old coal mine workings, some of which dated from the Middle Ages, had to be filled in before the tunnelling began.^[15]

Distances

Distances on the system are measured from a datum point at South Gosforth. The system is metric, with distances in kilometres to the nearest metre. Lines are designated In and Out. The In line is from St James to South Shields via the inside of the loop (Yellow Line); the Out line is the opposite. By extension the In line is from Airport to South Gosforth, and from Pelaw to Sunderland and South Hylton. Distance plates are mounted on all overhead line structures. Different distances are normally quoted for stations, depending on whether the direction of travel is In or Out. Distances increase from the datum in all directions.^[50]

The part of the Sunderland extension owned by Network Rail is dual-marked in metric units and the miles and chains system used by mainline trains. The boundary between the two systems is close to Pelaw Metro Junction.^[51] The closest adjacent stations are St Peter's and Sunderland; the furthest apart Pelaw and Fellgate.

Electrification

The Tyne and Wear Metro is electrified with overhead lines at 1,500 V DC. It is now the only rail network in Britain to use this system.^[4][52] Nexus have stated that their long term ambition is to convert the electrification of the Sunderland line, which is shared with main line trains, to the Network Rail standard of 25kv AC, which would require a new fleet of dual voltage trains.^[39][40]

Control centre

The Metro's control centre is based at South Gosforth, in a building alongside South Gosforth Metro station. The centre is responsible for operating the network's signalling, and electrical supply, and communicating with train drivers and other staff via two-way radio equipment.^[15] The original equipment at the centre was replaced in 2007^[4] and the Metro control room was refitted in 2018.^[53]

Metrocars stabled at the Gosforth depot in 2010.

Depot

The depot for the Metro is also based at Gosforth, just north of South Gosforth station, at the centre of the triangular fork between the Airport branch and the northern leg of the North Tyneside Loop. It is used for stabling, maintenance and repair of the Metrocar fleet. It can be accessed by trains from either east or west; there is also a depot-avoiding line running from east to west, which is not used in public service.^[54]

The depot had originally been opened in 1923 by the London and North Eastern Railway, to house the previous Tyneside Electrics stock, and was then known as the South Gosforth Car Sheds. It was inherited by Metro upon the system's opening.^[54]

In 2015, Nexus reportedly were considering either refurbishing the existing depot for long-term use, or moving operations to a new depot at another location, either at Heaton in Newcastle, or Hebburn in South Tyneside.^[55]