Tyne and Wear Metro passengers now have just four weeks to prepare for a major shutdown that will take a big chunk of the network out of action for three months.
The line between Pelaw and South Shields will be completely closed for 12 weeks from mid-September, the biggest closure in the Metro’s 42-year history, for the £103m ‘Metro Flow’ upgrade works that it is hoped will deliver a substantial long-term boost to the region. Engineers will be dualling three single-track sections of the Metro line between Pelaw and Bede stations, in order to allow more trains to run, improve reliability, and boost the system’s capacity by up to 24,000 extra journeys every day.
While the removal of the pinch points is seen as critical to the Metro’s future and hopes of expanding services to new areas, as bosses also await the arrival of a much-needed new fleet of trains currently being built in Switzerland, the work will cause severe disruption for passengers in South Tyneside. Commuters and families are being warned to make sure they have plans in place for how to get to work or school once the closure comes into force.
