The Tyne and Wear Metro took delivery of its first new train this morning. The brand spanking yellow train was a little late in arriving – it was due in December 2022 – but nevertheless it is still a landmark moment for the company.
It is the first of 46 new Swiss-built, Class 555 trains expected to be delivered. They are reputed to be 15 times more reliable than the current models.
Passengers, though, won’t get to ride on them until later in the year, possibly in the summer, and they will gradually replace the existing fleet one by one after drive training and testing is completed.
A Nexus spokesperson said: “The Stadler trains mark the start of a new era for Metro. Among the new features will be an automatic sliding step at every door of the new trains, making travel easier for Metro’s 50,000 wheelchair passengers as well as people with children’s buggies, luggage or bicycles.
“Stadler is also close to completing a new £70m Metro depot at Gosforth in Newcastle, which will be a modern new home for the new trains.”
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