Councillor slams 'shoddy' Metro trains as more faults emerge

Metro bosses are still trying to correct a fault that is causing water to pour into the carriages of the network's new trains.

Tyne and Wear Metro's Stadler-built fleet had to be pulled from use during June's heatwave when it emerged their air-conditioning units were leaking.

The problem has reared its head once again as temperatures climbed over recent days, with three trains taken out of use.

Operator Nexus and Stadler said that condensation from the trains' heating, ventilation and air-conditioning (HVAC) system was draining too slowly during long hours of running on hot days - causing it to then leak through the air vents.

Transport officials are still "testing solutions" to solve the issue for good, while contingencies including extra cleaning have been put in place in a bid to minimise disruption, according to the Local Democracy Reporting Service.

Commenting on new Tyne and Wear Metro trains being withdrawn from service again this week due to leaks from air con units, Lib Dem Sunderland city councillor Martin Haswell said: “This has been a total shambles from the start.

“These new trains have been years late, don’t have wifi as promised, there’s hardly any in service and those that are running are riddled with faults from dodgy doors to constantly failing air con units.

“Local people are being asked to pay higher ticket prices for a horrifically bad service from what are meant to be brand new reliable trains. The regional Mayor needs to get a grip and demand better for passengers – that’s why Lib Dems are asking her to demand a refund from manufacturer Stadler for these shoddy new trains.”

Work underway

Cathy Massarella, Managing Director of Nexus and Lucius Gerig, CEO Stadler Switzerland, joint statement:

“We’d like to assure our customers that work is underway to address an ongoing issue with the heating, ventilation and air conditioning (HVAC) system on the new Metro train fleet.

“As customers may be aware, some of our new trains are intermittently experiencing an issue with this HVAC system during extreme temperatures. This results in water leaking into the carriage through the air vents. This is condensation from the air conditioning unit and it isn’t harmful.

“As an immediate interim measure, we have put a robust process in place to closely monitor the HVAC equipment and minimise the potential for water entering the carriage. As a contingency, we have also made plans for short term cleaning and servicing if it is required. We’re working as quickly as possible to deal with this issue, minimise disruption, and maintain the best service that we can for customers.

"We have identified the issue. During long hours of operation on hot days, the condensation from the HVAC drains too slowly. We are testing solutions in the software to resolve the problem as quickly as possible. We are monitoring the work closely to keep the impact during testing to a minimum.

“We’d like to apologise to any customers who have been affected by this issue. We’re working as quickly as possible to get the HVAC units running as intended.

“The introduction of the new Metro fleet is the biggest and most complex project in the history of the Tyne and Wear Metro and the current phase is the most challenging of any fleet transition project. This is why we are taking a careful and phased approach to fleet introduction to promptly address any arising issues.”