The project to replace all the Tyne and Wear Metro trains has marked another major milestone.

Nexus has confirmed that all 46 new Tyne and Wear Metro trains have now been successfully delivered to the North East as the £362 million project takes another step closer towards completion.

The final new Metro train arrived at safely during the early hours of Saturday, February 21, when it arrived at Nexus’ depot in Gosforth.

It means that Stadler, the Swiss train manufacturer, has now supplied its order to build 46 new Tyne and Wear Metro trains for Nexus.

The travel operator has stated that it remains on course to have the full timetable operated by the new train fleet by summer of 2026.

Nexus has stated that it expects the last remain old Metro trains to be taken out of service in the late spring to early summer - with the rest of the old fleet continuing to be recycled.

The final of the 46 new Tyne and Wear Metro trains have been delivered in the North East from Switzerland. | Nexus

placeholder image — The final of the 46 new Tyne and Wear Metro trains have been delivered in the North East from Switzerland. | Nexus

Cathy Massarella, Managing Director of Nexus, said: “I’m delighted to confirm that all 46 new Tyne and Wear Metro trains have been successfully delivered to our region.

“This is another significant moment for the project, which is getting closer to completion. It is the culmination of a huge amount of hard work by our own teams and by our colleagues at Stadler.

“We already have more than half of the new Metro fleet available for customer service, and we are on course for all 46 trains to be ready by the end of this year.

“The new Metro trains are already proving to be transformative for customers. They represent a bright future for the Metro service.

“Our focus is to get all of the remaining new trains through testing and kilometre accumulation and ready for service, so the hard work will carry on from here.

The final train arrived in Gosforth during the early hours of Saturday, February 21. | Nexus

“The fleet deliveries have been a complex process over the last few years. Each delivery was meticulously planned, and it’s involved a huge amount of night shifts to get us to this point.”

Speaking after the final delivery, Lucius Gerig, Stadler Switzerland CEO, commented: “Nearly three years after the arrival of the first vehicle, Stadler has successfully delivered all 46 bespoke trains to Nexus — a fleet tailored to the needs of the Tyne and Wear Metro.

“This is a proud moment for Stadler and a milestone made possible by the dedication of our team and our close collaboration with Nexus.“

Since the delivery process first began in early 2023, all 46 of the new Metro trains have been hauled to the UK by rail from the Stadler factory in Switzerland.

Each new train has been hauled by a locomotive across mainland Europe and into the UK via the Channel Tunnel - a journey of 1,800 miles.

Tyne and Wear Metro’s new trains all include linear seating, mobile charging points, climate control, 44 CCTV cameras, battery technology, and new accessibility standards, including an automatic sliding step at each set of doors to allow for seamless boarding.