4 days Ago
Nexus introduced the first Stadler Class 555 Metro EMU into traffic on 18 December, with No 555021 forming the 11.04 Pelaw to Monkseaton. The train is part of a £362 million fleet replacement, with Stadler delivering 46 five-car trains of which 13 are now in this country.
Nexus said that they would all enter traffic over the next two years. The fleet features linear seating, mobile charging points, climate control, 44 digital CCTV cameras, battery technology and automatic sliding steps at each set of doors. Initially the first Class 555 will run on weekdays.
North East Mayor Kim McGuinness travelled on the first train and said: ‘this is an historic day for Metro and a moment I know will come as a relief to passengers, as well as being something to celebrate. 'I pressed Nexus and Stadler to get the first new Metro train out there for passengers as quickly as possible. I know how much hard work has gone into making that happen from many people involved in testing and solving the technical challenges.
I look forward to seeing these new trains becoming a common sight next year as they are phased into use.’ Cathy Massarella, Nexus Managing Director of Nexus, said: ‘this is an historic moment for the Tyne and Wear Metro and for public transport in our region. It’s the beginning of a new era for Metro, our customers, and for our own workforce.
‘The new trains will transform the customer experience, delivering more comfort, more quality and more reliability. We’re already looking forward to getting more new trains into service over the coming months. ‘The roll out of all 46 new trains will be taking place in phases going forward, so customers will see the old and the new trains out together on the system.
’ Patrick Küng, Stadler Commercial Project Manager, said: ‘these Metro trains are tailormade to suit the local network. They are designed to accommodate the characteristics of the system and produced in line with Nexus’ specification.’ He added that Stadler has a 35-year full-service maintenance contract for the fleet.
Stadler was awarded the contract, initially for 42 trains which was later increased to 46, in 2020, with the first expected to have entered traffic in 2023. Nexus confirmed at the start of 2024 that the new fleet was delayed as further testing of the trains in very specific conditions was required..
