Tyne and Wear Metro bosses have explained why passengers have been forced to endure sweltering temperatures on some trains over recent weeks.
Some commuters have been left feeling uncomfortable after finding themselves on carriages with their heaters running at full blast, even on days when the weather has been mild. As with many of the Metro’s shortcomings of late, the root of the problem lies in the fact that its trains are more than 40 years old and run on obsolete technology.
Instead of being able to adjust their temperature settings by flicking a switch or turning down a thermostat, engineers must get underneath the carriage and make mechanical adjustments to put the heating system on its summer weather mode. So, if a train is sent out on a cool spring morning with its winter heat settings running then it must stay in that mode for the duration of its service that day, even if the weather warms up.
