All 46 new Tyne and Wear Metro trains have been formally handed over for customer service, completing the biggest project in the Metro's history two months ahead of schedule. Operator Nexus said Swiss manufacturer Stadler handed over the 46th and final Class 555 train this month, ahead of an end-of-2026 target date.

A £362m renewal

The £362m project replaces the original Metrocar fleet, which had served Tyne and Wear since the system opened in 1980. The final trains from the original fleet were withdrawn in June, and the first Class 555 entered passenger service on 18 December 2024. Nexus managing director Cathy Massarella said the milestone marked the final phase of the most significant project since the Metro was first built, a programme running from the funding announcement in 2017 through build and roll-out into service.

Testing and training behind the handover

Before entering daily service, the fleet completed 90,000 individual tests and 37,000 kilometres of on-track testing runs, and 480 employees were trained to operate and maintain the trains. The five-car trains offer step-free boarding through sliding steps at each doorway, open walk-through carriages, wheelchair and bicycle spaces, USB charging points and onboard Wi-Fi. All 46 trains have now gone through testing and commissioning and can be used on daily services across the network, which links Newcastle, Gateshead, Sunderland and the North and South Tyneside coast.

Sources: Nexus; Rail Business Daily.