'It's the end of an era' - Metro driver proud to control old trains' final service
The man who drove the final service of the old Metro rolling stock has spoken of his pride after the run came to an end.
A long serving Metro driver has spoken of his pride after getting the honour of driving the last old train on the network.
Richard Turner was handed the task of driving the Class 599 on its final guaranteed runs in customer service, which took place on Friday, 26 June.
Richard, 57, of Newcastle, drove it on the Green Line between Newcastle International Airport and South Hylton in the morning, before the final run on the Yellow Line in the afternoon.
Rail enthusiasts and Metro fans were able to to take one last journey on the fleet which has served the region for 46 years.
Richard, who has worked as a Metro driver for 26 years, brought the last train to Regent Centre at 6pm, before taking the train back into Gosforth Depot.
The platform was packed with people to wave it off at its final station stop.
Richard said: “I’m proud. It was a bit emotional. It’s the end of an era.
“It was a shift that I thoroughly enjoyed. There were so many people there to see the train. There was even a guy there from New York. He works as a subway driver over there and he had come over here with his son to see our Metro.
“These old trains have served the north east well. They’re part of the community and have been for 46 years. Sadly, they have come to end of their service life and we now say farewell and look forward to the new fleet, which is fantastic.
“The final part of the shift, where I was taking the train through the last few stops, was emotional. My wife and sons along the route to see me. I could hear all the clapping and cheering, which really brought home the significance of the day.
“I was lucky enough to get the opportunity to drive this train. There was a ballot and it was my name that came out.”
Metro’s original Class 599 trains have carried 1.7 billion customer journeys since entering service in August 1980 and they have clocked up half a billion kilometres.