No “spare” Metro trains were fit to be deployed to help during travel chaos on Wednesday as freezing temperatures wreaked havoc.
Tyne and Wear transport bosses pledged last week that recently-imposed cuts to the Metro timetable would allow carriages to be kept in reserve and sent out to meet extra demand when needed. But there was no such help for frustrated Metro passengers left waiting on platforms and enduring packed carriages on Wednesday morning – because too many trains are broken.
Seven trains had to be taken out of service as they struggled during sub-zero weather and Metro operator Nexus confirmed to the Local Democracy Reporting Service that there were no spares available to cover them due to an ongoing maintenance nightmare. Nexus had initially claimed last week that it was scrapping its extra peak-time services between Pelaw and Monkseaton due to reduced post-pandemic demand, before a leaked email revealed that a lack of working trains was the true reason behind the cuts.
