Metro suspension: Trains off on entire network for part of this weekend
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Tyne and Wear Metro services will be suspended throughout the system from around 5.15pm on Saturday, February 19, and will restart from around 8.15am on Sunday, February 20.
Metro services will start running off after 4pm on Saturday, with the majority of stations seeing their last trains between 5pm and 6pm.
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Hide AdAnd with Sunderland AFC at home to MK Dons at the Stadium of Light on Saturday, it could mean disruption for fans.
John Alexander, Metro Operations Director, has apologised to passengers for the disruption ahead of the action.
He said: “We are forced to suspend the Metro service across the system on Saturday evening and early Sunday morning due to an industrial relations matter affecting our Control Centre.
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Hide Ad“I am sorry for the inconvenience this will cause for many people.
“A small number of Metro employees in our control centre are refusing to work overtime or train colleagues to perform their roles.
"We have contingencies in place to protect our customers when this happens, but on this occasion we’ve exhausted all options, so we do not have staff available to operate Metro safely during one full shift from Saturday evening into Sunday morning.
“We are working hard with our trade unions in productive talks to resolve the outstanding issues there are within the control centre teams.
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Hide Ad"This is an unprecedented situation and I very much hope it is not repeated. We are doing all we can to prevent that.”
Metro tickets will be accepted on local buses across the area while the service is suspended.