Despite it being half past three on a Friday afternoon, the Nexus office, based near St James’ Park, is still a hive of activity. Customer Services Director Huw Lewis welcomes me to his office, where it is clear that he is an integral part of the Tyne and Wear Metro team from his many accolades that are hung on the wall of his office. 

The new fleet of Metro trains, the first of which is due to arrive in Newcastle at the end of the month, has been in the works since 2015 – and Lewis has been there every step of the way. 

“Our current fleet is 43 years old now and was designed in the 1960s,” he says. “Imagine getting into and driving a car that was designed back then compared to one that’s been designed today – that’s the difference.”

The huge project aims to eventually overhaul the 44 current trains in the fleet with 46 brand new trains that have been manufactured by the Swiss company Stadler. The fleet is both modern and built to last, with sustainability and reliability at the heart of the priorities. The design is completely unique in that some way or another, nearly all of the features on the new fleet have been influenced by frequent passengers of the Metro. 

Lewis isn’t shy about the pressure that there is to get the design right the first time. 

“This isn’t something we can pass off after five years – this fleet is going to have to last us another 40 years,” he says.

Nevertheless, the design process has been painstakingly intricate to meet the expectations. Consultations were sent to customers back in 2015, long before funding had even been secured for the new fleet. These consultations essentially asked: ‘What do you need and what do you want?’. There were over 3,000 people involved in the initial consultations, with a variety of questionnaires and focus groups, through which Nexus were able to gather enough information to create a draft design.

Funding was secured and Stadler was awarded the contract for manufacturing the trains in January 2020. They set an initial deadline of December 2022 – unaware of the global pandemic that was about to strike. 

“The pandemic was obviously a bit of an issue, but it allowed us to work with [Newcastle University initiatives] OpenLab and Digital Civics to create some really impressive virtual mock-ups of designs,” Lewis explains. 

“The online consultations allowed us to target all of our demographics using targeted advertising, and we got over 23,000 responses, which allowed us to go into the most absurd detail for designs”.

No stone has been left unturned in the design process. The seats will have linear seating, so the trains will have a lot more standing space – particularly helpful for those in areas such as Jesmond who use the Metro for only going a couple of spots into town. Gone are the straps on the ceiling, replaced by vertical poles, so people of all heights can hold something whilst travelling. Horizontal poles are also available in the four designated wheelchair spaces, so disabled passengers have more comfort and security when travelling. The iconic colour scheme of yellow, white, and black has been retained – which is striking enough to help those with visual impairments.

Tyne and Wear Metro is often overlooked as a sustainable travel option, with the recent emergence of e-scooters within Newcastle. The new trains, however, will use up to 30% less electricity – saving enough to power every home in Tyneside. The improvement in sustainability goes together with the increase in reliability that will be arriving with the new fleet.

“It sounds boring, but I think I’m most excited for the reliability aspect,” Lewis says. 

“Once they’re introduced, I think people will stop talking about reliability the way that we do now because people will be able to take it for granted.”

The fleet is mathematically nearly 10 times less likely to break down, as they are adapted to deal with all types of weather conditions and low rail adhesion. 

Perhaps the most unique aspect of the new trains will be the large-scale artwork displayed at both ends of the train. With the help of funding from the Arts Council, Tyne and Wear Metro will be the first in the world to have public artwork commissioned inside the train. The four successful artists whose work will be displayed are Bryony Simcox, Sara Gibbeson, Nocciola the Drawer and Sofia Barton, who have all created a piece of art that represents the diversity of modern North East England. Each train will have a different combination of artwork at each end, giving people the chance to decide on their personal favourite piece.

When talking about what local communities like Jesmond can do to look after the new fleet when they are in service, Lewis is clear in his message.

“They are there to be used – so we want everyone to be able to use it. Obviously, the trains travel across many different demographics, but I think the Metro has really linked local communities together over recent years – whether that be with children able to access the large number of schools that are based in Jesmond and Gosforth, or with the long-standing rivalry between Sunderland and Newcastle – people from Sunderland will work and study in Newcastle now and vice versa. Before the line was extended in 2002, I’m not sure that was the case.”

The first trains from the new fleet are set to arrive from Switzerland and Czechia to the new Gosforth depot next week, with the aim to be integrated into service this October. The current schedule is to have all 46 of the new trains running by 2025, so the current fleet will be phased out gradually. 

“There’s going to be some teething problems – it’s not easy to introduce a full new fleet. But we want people in the North East to be wholeheartedly proud of the Metro system again,” Lewis says. The improvements in reliability, sustainability and aesthetics promise to make the metros an icon of the region, and will hopefully be welcomed by locals.