The Tyne and Wear Metro is a metro system serving stations in Newcastle upon Tyne, Gateshead, South Tyneside, North Tyneside and Sunderland, which are located in North East England. The network opened in 1980 and in 2006-2007 provided 39 million public journeys on its route of nearly 78 kilometres (48 mi).[1] It is operated by Nexus[2] and is one of only two underground metro-type systems in the UK outside London, the other being the Glasgow Subway.
Overview
The Metro is usually described as Britain's first modern light rail system. However, it can be considered a hybrid system, displaying elements of light rail, heavy underground metro, and longer-distance, higher speed suburban and interurban railway systems.
The Metro began operating in 1980, but was an evolutionary development, as it was a pioneering system in the use of existing rights-of-way to create a modern rail transit system,[3] linking them with purpose-built tunnels under central Newcastle and Gateshead. Much of the Metro's route was part of one of the world's first electric urban railway systems, which opened in 1904 on public passenger lines that were then already well established (see Tyneside Electrics).[4] The Metro alignment comprises most of two of the world's oldest passenger railways, the Newcastle & North Shields Railway (Metro between Chillingham Road and North Shields) and the Brandling Junction Railway (between Gateshead and Monkwearmouth, near the Stadium of Light), both opened in 1839, making the Metro arguably one of the world's oldest local rail transport systems. In the case of Metro's Chichester station, the route of an existing mineral railway was chosen instead of the previous passenger railway alignment, as it passed through a more heavily populated area than the previous High Shields station, This is also the oldest section of the Metro route, dating back to 1834.
Changes
With the opening of the Sunderland extension in 2002,[5] the Metro became the first UK system to implement a form of the Karlsruhe model, using track shared with mainline trains on the section between Pelaw and Sunderland.[6] The section from Sunderland to South Hylton was previously part of the Sunderland to Durham mainline, closed in the wake of the Beeching Axe in the 1960s, and was the second Metro segment to be built on a completely disused line, following on from the Newcastle International Airport extension, which was largely built on the former Ponteland branch line.[7]
When the Metro first opened, it was claimed to be part of the UK's first integrated public transport system. The Metro was intended to cover trunk journeys, while buses were reoriented toward shorter local trips, tightly integrated with the Metro schedule, to bring passengers to and from the Metro stations, using unified ticketing. Much was made of the Metro's interchange stations such as Four Lane Ends and Regent Centre, which combined a large parking facility with a bus and Metro station;[8] this distinction is no longer emphasised. Some passengers complained that the Metro integration was pursued overzealously, and for example, bus passengers to Newcastle Upon Tyne would be forced to change to the Metro in Gateshead for a short trip, rather than have the bus route continue for a short distance further into Newcastle. Integration lasted until deregulation of bus routes in 1986. However, it is still possible to buy Transfare tickets that combine a Metro and bus journey.
News and issues
- In August 2008 The usage of mobility scooters on the Metro was banned permanently by operator Nexus.
- In July 2008 the UK Government awarded operator Nexus a £300 million commitment to modernise the Metro network in the Metro: All Change programme. More than £350 million will be spent in the next decade modernising stations, refurbishing trains and overhauling infrastructure including communications, track and overhead power lines, structures and embankments. Nexus will seek a further £300 million after 2019 when it plans to replace all trains and signal systems, alongside further modernisation.
- Metro is an 'open access' network with no mandatory ticket controls. Checks are made by roving patrols of inspectors. In September 2007 Nexus announced it was investing £14.3 million introducing new ticket machines, able to take credit/debit cards and notes alongside coins for the first time. At the same time it said three-quarter height barriers would be installed at 13 main stations from 2010.
- The Metro has been the subject of criticism from environmental campaigners as it does not permit the carriage of standard bicycles, though there are now storage lockers for these at some stations. Only small folding bicycles are now permitted on the Metro.
- The Metro long had a problem with fare evasion on the system, due to the lack of ticket inspectors on the trains. In recent years, the number of inspectors has increased, and in 2005 the penalty fare for travelling without a valid ticket was increased from £10 to £20.[9]
- Northumberland Park Metro station, costing a total of £5.7 million[10] opened on 11 December 2005 and serves a new housing development between Shiremoor and the A19 Holystone Interchange, including a 400-space multi-storey park-and-ride facility to be completed late 2008. It is located adjacent to existing track between Palmersville and Shiremoor on the northern loop section of the yellow line. It also acts as a feeder station for Nexus' R19 bus service, supporting Cobalt Park business park, the Silverlink Retail park, and North Shields.
- The "Stand clear of the doors please" announcement, which sounded before the doors started to close, was introduced in 1991. In 1996, a contest was held in which several mystery celebrities recorded the phrase, with a prize awarded for correct identification; these recordings were replaced by staff announcements after the contest ended. In order to increase the clarity of the announcement (especially for individuals not fluent in English) the phrase was replaced with "Doors closing" in 2004.
- In May 2007, an elderly woman on a mobility scooter entered the Metro on one side and crashed through the opposite doors falling onto the track.[1] Nexus stated that the doors had not been faulty and that this was the first occasion in 27 years that a set of doors had been forced open. There have since been two further incidents in similar circumstances and unaccompanied users of mobility scooters are no longer permitted on trains[2].
- On 17 October 2007 services were suspended between Benton and Shiremoor due to track subsidence to the east of Northumberland Park. This happened due to the collapse of a disused mineshaft near the station with services suspended for a number of days for remedial work to make the area safe. A full repair was completed in March 2008 by filling the shafts discovered with solid grouting.[11]
- The network's newest station, Simonside, opened on 17 March, 2008. It cost £3.2 million, partly funded by the European Regional Development Fund, an
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