Nexus’s new fleet of trains, due in 2024, will be equipped with measures to help disabled people in Jesmond and elsewhere travel more easily.

As JesmondLocal reported last week, Nexus has revealed the design of its new fleet of Metro trains which will be made by Swiss manufacturer Stadler.

The design includes retractable steps at every door, four wheelchair spaces per train, and eight sets of three priority seats for disabled people.

According to Nexus customer service director Huw Lewis, the new Metro trains will improve accessibility for the 50,000 people who make unsupported wheelchair journeys on the Metro every year.

The changes will not come too soon, according to Scope, a disability equality charity in England and Wales. In its survey, 20% of those polled nationwide reported that assistance on trains often did not arrive, even when booked 24 hours in advance.

Scope recommended “a commitment from those running the transport system to putting inclusivity at the forefront of their decisions”.

Scope also says that “the unpredictability of transport” — a problem that has plagued the Metro recently — “presents a major barrier” for disabled people.

Nexus says improved reliability is high on its agenda, with managing director Tobyn Hughes promising the new trains will deliver “15 times better reliability than the current fleet”.

Latest government statistics show that 13.3% of disabled people feel lonely “often or always”, nearly four times that of non-disabled people. In its advice to those suffering from loneliness, charity Mind encourages finding new connections, pursuing hobbies and meeting new people. Improved transport links can make this easier.

Department for Transport research found disabled people “more frequently use buses and taxis and less frequently use other modes of transport”.