Nexus, the public body which owns and operates the Tyne and Wear Metro, has officially begun the process of buying a new train fleet – a £362m project which will transform the reliability of Metro services for passengers.
A procurement exercise has been launched in order to source a rolling stock supplier who will design and build the new Metro trains, which are scheduled to enter service at the end of 2021.
Nexus is expecting global interest in the contract, which is the biggest project in the history of the Tyne and Wear Metro system since it was built in the late 1970s.
The Government has committed £337m towards the cost of new train fleet, with a £25m contribution coming from Nexus.
The new Metro fleet, 84 carriages (42 trains) in total, will offer greater reliability while delivering improved comfort and convenience for passengers. Trains will have air conditioning, digital connectivity, phone charging points and a linear seat layout to create more space for wheelchairs, standing room and luggage.
A new maintenance depot will be built on the existing Metro depot site at Gosforth in Newcastle.
The commencement of the procurement process was given the green light by the North East Combined Authority’s Leadership Board on January 16.
Cllr Nick Forbes, Leader of Newcastle City Council and thematic lead for transport on the North East Combined Authority, said: “A reliable Metro service is absolutely vital and a new fleet of trains ensures that we can deliver that.
“Investment in new rolling stock was long overdue. Nexus are now in a position to crack on and purchase the new trains and get them built.
“This is the first step on the road to a bright new era for the Tyne and Wear Metro, a key public service that plays such a big part in so many people’s everyday lives.”
Managing Director of Nexus, Tobyn Hughes, said: “We are delighted to have been awarded the funding and now that we have approval from the Combined Authority we can get on with the job of buying the new trains.
“The trains that we will buy will transform the reliability of the Metro system, as well as reducing energy usage and updating the experience of travelling by Metro. We will also future-proof them so that they have the capability of serving more destinations on a wider network in the future.
“We are in the process of finalising the specification, and we have used extensive market research to inform the interior layout, for example by providing more standing room and space for luggage. We are really looking forward to seeing the designs that manufacturers come up with so that we can choose the best possible trains for our existing passengers and for future generations of Metro travellers.
“We expect the first trains to start arriving in late 2021.”
The procurement process starts with the publication of a formal notification in the Official Journal of the European Union (OJEU). This is the publication in which all tenders from the public sector which are valued above a certain financial threshold according to EU legislation, must be published.