A section of the Metro line serving both North Tyneside and Newcastle is set to undergo a significant programme of essential renewal work next month as investments are made to improve general infrastructure.
The project will take place over a five-day major line closure between Shiremoor and St James, in both directions, from Monday 16 February to Friday 20 February, with services set to resume on Saturday 21 February.
The closure will take place in February
During the closure, yellow line Metro services will run from Shiremoor towards South Shields via South Gosforth calling at all stations on route, with the green line planned to be unaffected by the closure.
A replacement bus will operate during the works, calling either at or close to all affected Metro stations.
The work forms part of the Metro’s Asset Renewal Programme, which seeks to modernise key areas of Metro infrastructure, including tracks and overhead lines.
Renewal work will see a total of 950 metres of new track installed between Chillingham Road and Walkergate, as well as over 1,000 sleepers replaced across the closure.
During the closure, engineers may also carry out a number of other works including cable testing, lineside estate management, platform repairs and essential structural inspections.
Paul Welford, Major Projects Director at Nexus, said:
We’re investing in new track and other key infrastructure to ensure that Metro continues to reliably serve North Tyneside and Newcastle for many years to come.
There is no good time to close a section of the network, and we do so to minimise disruption to as many customers as possible. Our plans consider school holidays, to ensure the least possible disruption to customers and the most efficient works.
By replacing essential infrastructure components, this project ensures that a vital section of the Metro system is future proofed and reliable for the long term. By scheduling these works during the Spring half-term, we can avoid impacting busy school commutes, and less congestion on the roads should speed up alternative travel times.
It can only be carried out safely during a five-day closure of the Metro system so that our engineers can get extended access to the lines.
Over the last 15 years; almost 1 billon GBP has been invested into upgrades along the Tyne and Wear Metro, including the procurement of new train fleets and works to remove single-track operations in South Tyneside, as well as projects to replace expired assets and equipment, ranging from new track and overhead line to structural repairs and bridges.