Update: The Metro reopening has been delayed by "up to one week".
It's been nearly two months since you could get a Metro to or from South Shields, but there is not long left until the track is due to reopen.
Nexus says the Metro Flow project that has shutdown the line is "making great progress". Once complete, the work to install and electrify new sections of track will allow for more trains, improved reliability and quicker journey times, Nexus promises.
The line between Pelaw and South Shields has been closed since September. Replacement buses connect each Metro station between Pelaw and South Shields.
Read more: What you need to know about Metro's South Shields shutdown
With less than a month to go before the project is due to be completed, Nexus told ChronicleLive that the work is running to schedule.
When Metro trains will be back on between South Shields and Pelaw
The Metro Flow project which has closed the line between Pelaw and South Shields is set to be completed on Saturday, December 3.
Trains from Pelaw and South Shields to Hebburn, Jarrow, Bede, Simonside, Tyne Dock and Chichester are on course to return from Sunday, December 4.
Major project director at Nexus, Cathy Massarella, said: “The Metro Flow project has past the halfway point and the works are making great progress.
“Three kilometres of new Metro tracks have been successfully installed already and we remain on course to get the line back open to customers on December 4.
“The works have been intensive. It is the biggest line closure we have ever undertaken. We have seen sections of old track excavated to make room for the new lines.
“In three key areas we are dualling the track by upgrading the adjacent freight line, which will become part of the Metro’s infrastructure. We are really grateful to our customers and our lineside neighbours for their patience while we carry out this project, which involves us working right around the clock.
“Metro Flow will allow us to improve reliability on the Metro system, allow for a greater frequency of services in the future when we have our new trains, and offer scope to examine future opportunities to expand the network to other areas that are currently not served by Metro.”
The Metro Flow project is the largest line closure in the history of the Tyne-Wear Metro. the works are expected to cost around £104m.
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