A busy section of the Metro line in North Tyneside is to close for five days while overhead line renewal work is carried out.
Nexus, the public body which owns and manages Metro, will carry out the major line closure between Benton and North Shields from Monday, July 31 to Friday, August 4. The five-day closure will deliver new overhead line along a 2km section, forming part of a £36.4m wire renewal programme that started in 2011 and is expected to run through to 2025.
The focus of the work will be on the stretch of line between Tynemouth and Monkseaton, but in order to carry out the work safely, the area of closure needs to be wider as high voltage power needs to be turned off. During the closure, signalling upgrades, track renewal, station improvements and vegetation clearance will also be carried out.
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Customers will be provided with a bus replacement service, the 900, during the closure, which will call at or near all Metro stations from North Shields to Four Lane Ends. The line between Benton and North Shields will then reopen as usual on Saturday, August 5.
A total of 106 kilometres of wire is being replaced on Metro as part of a rolling programme, which is one of the biggest maintenance projects ever undertaken on the network.
Metro Infrastructure Director, Stuart Clarke, said: “This is a vital investment in new Metro infrastructure in North Tyneside ahead of welcoming our new trains into service. The work to replace such a long stretch of overhead line can only be carried out safely during a major line closure. This will be in place for five full days, from July 31 to August 4.
“Customers travelling through the affected area are advised to plan journeys in advance and allow time to make their journeys.
“I understand this causes some disruption, and we always try to make closures as short as possible and to provide a good replacement bus service when there are lines affected, but it is necessary to make sure that the Metro system is fit for the future.”
He added: “This is the same wire that was installed 40 years ago when Metro was first opened so it has become worn and more prone to failure. If it fails then that becomes disruptive to the services that we provide, so by renewing the wire this is an investment in helping to ensure that the Metro stays as reliable as possible for years to come."
