Tyne and Wear Metro 'working tirelessly' to keep trains going after drop in performance

A third of Metro services failed to arrive on time during a recent four-week period, as the network has grappled with problems caused by power outages, points failures, and leaves on the line – on top of the ongoing struggle to maintain an increasingly dilapidated set of 45-year-old carriages.

As passengers continue to wait for the first of the Metro’s £362 million new fleet to enter service, operator Nexus says it has measures in place to keep its current trains going through the winter months.

A year ago, the light rail system reported the worst performance levels in its history – when just 61% of services ran to schedule.

There was another dip approaching those historic lows recently, when Metro punctuality fell to 67% between October 13 and November 9. The situation has improved since, increasing back up to 75%, though this remains short of Nexus’ targets.

The operator has told the Local Democracy Reporting Service that Stadler, the Swiss firm which is building the new Metro fleet and is responsible for maintaining the existing trains, has been handed more contractual penalties relating to its performance.

Nexus confirmed in February this year that it had withheld £1.4 million worth of payments from the manufacturing giant.

John Fenwick, Nexus’ director of resources, says that more penalties have been imposed in the current financial year too – though the value of those has not been disclosed at this stage.

Recent problems to have hit the network include a power outage at the Gosforth Metro Depot on November 8, which caused six hours worth of disruption, as well as points failures and overhead line issues.

On November 26, seven Metro trains broke down in a single morning – a quarter of the number required to run a full timetable.

To try and shield trains from freezing temperatures, staff are using industrial heaters brought in from the air travel industry last winter and also house some overnight in the underground tunnels around Newcastle city centre.

Meanwhile, it is still hoped that a new Metro train will be in passenger service before the end of this month.

Kevin Storey, Metro Operations Director, said: “Recent issues are down to the age of our train fleet and an annual seasonal issue known as low rail adhesion, which affects punctuality across the whole UK rail network during the autumn.

“Metro performance has improved compared to last year. We’re working hard to maintain that as we countdown to the planned roll out of our new trains, which are going to transform customer experience and reliability.

“The existing Metro fleet is over 45 years old and is operating beyond its lifespan. It is becoming increasingly difficult to maintain and repair, exacerbated by a shortage of spare parts, many of which are obsolete.

“Stadler, who manage Metro train maintenance at Gosforth Depot, is working tirelessly to improve fleet reliability. They are working with suppliers to source parts and Nexus has invested further in maintenance.

“We have seasonal preparedness plans in place. Last winter we brought in special heaters adapted from the airline industry to protect the trains from the cold, and they are in use again this winter.”