Nexus has outlined how the Tyne and Wear Metro’s new £362m fleet of trains will be brought into customer service over the next two years.

The introduction of the new trains will happen in phases in what is the biggest project in Metro’s history.

Half of the 46 new trains which are on order from Stadler are scheduled to be in service by the end of 2025.

Nexus, the public body which runs Metro, aims to have all 46 new trains running in customer service over the next two years.

The first new Metro train began operating on 18 December last year in an historic moment for Metro. It marked the start of a new era for the transport system – transforming comfort, quality, security and reliability for customers.

Paul Welford, Major Projects Director at Nexus, said: “We are excited to be introducing the new Tyne and Wear Metro fleet, which is going to be transformative for our customers.

“Having passed the major milestone of our first train in service, we’re now focused on the next really important phase of the project to roll out the remainder of the fleet.

“We anticipate that we will safely transition 23 new trains into customer service by the end of this year, which is half of the 46 that we have on order from Stadler.

“The first new train went into service on 18 December last year and we will now progress with our plan for a phased roll out of the fleet over the next two years until we have all 46 new trains in customer service. In parallel with new train introduction, we will start to gradually phase out our existing fleet. 

“In terms of delivery, we currently have 13 new trains in North East England at the moment which are following our rigorous testing schedule and Stadler will be delivering around 20 more new ones from their factory in Switzerland this calendar year.

“This is the biggest project in Metro’s history and the introduction of new trains is a culmination of many months of detailed commissioning on our network. We are working incredibly hard with our colleagues at Stadler to ensure each new train is ready to operate safely for our customers with positive feedback on our new fleet so far.

“We’re also making good progress with our Metro driver training programme. This continues in parallel with the roll out the new fleet.”

During 2025 Metro customers will see both the new and the current Metro fleet in service at the same time. The phased process means that as more of the new trains enter service so more of the old trains can be retired.

The frequency of new trains entering customer service will be one or two per month, although this will not be uniform throughout the entire duration of the roll-out.

This follows months of highly detailed testing.

A phased introduction of the new Metro fleet will allow the Metro drivers to complete their training – a process which remains ongoing.

Nexus employs 200 Metro drivers. They are in the process of undertaking conversion training so that they can drive the new trains – which includes classroom-based learning, use of a state-of-the-art Metro train driving simulator and lessons spent driving the new train out on the system.

Driver training is delivered by a dedicated group of fellow Metro drivers who have been trained to specialise in the new Stadler trains since they were first built.

The driver training programme began in late 2024 and is planned to be complete in early 2026.

Michael Richardson, Head of Fleet and Depot Replacement at Nexus, said: “As we get more Metro drivers trained up and more new trains here from the Stadler factory in Switzerland, then the introduction of new trains will move forwards. Eventually we’ll see more new trains on the system than the old ones, and within two years, all of the old trains are scheduled to be gone completely. 

“The roll out is a complex mix of continued technical performance monitoring, tweaking operational practices, and understanding how customers are interacting with the range of new features of the train.

“This is a standard part of the introduction process, and we continue to work closely with Stadler to review and continually learn. This is why we have taken a careful phased approach to fleet introduction.”

He added: “The testing process is a vital part of the programme and I am pleased to say that the it has gone well. We have worked closely with Stadler and our own workforce every single step of the way. Thousands of checks have been carried out and many thousands of kilometres covered during the testing process.

“We are now training 200 Metro drivers on the new trains. This has to be done in small groups so that they can master the leap from the old-style train to the new technology of the Stadler units. It’s a big change for our drivers. The driver conversion training is broken down with a blend of classroom and practical train driving lessons.” 

The old Metro trains will be removed from service and disposed of in numbers that will be broadly aligned to the introduction of the new units. For example, as bring new trains into customer service and their operation embeds, Nexus will look to retire the equivalent number of old trains. As old units are removed parts and components to support the ongoing operation of the remaining old fleet will be recovered, and where possible some components will be recycled.