New Tyne and Wear Metro trains unveiled

A select few future passengers have been treated to a look around a brand new Stadler Class 555, which it is hoped will revolutionise journeys for a public that has endured years of frustration with increasingly unreliable trains.

Two of the £362m fleet of new carriages have now been delivered to the North East, with another 44 on the way by 2025.

It will be some time yet before any enter service, however, with Metro operator Nexus saying it now hopes to see the first of them pulling into stations by the end of this year.

But a tour of a gleaming new train on Friday morning offered a welcome glimpse into the network’s future – after a troubled week that has seen the Metro embroiled in controversy over timetable cuts and struggling in freezing temperatures.

It was unveiled at a celebration event at the Metro’s Gosforth depot on Friday that welcomed passengers who helped shape the carriages’ design, local politicians and business leaders, and North East firms that have supplied parts and technology for the fleet.

The new, Swiss-built trains boast a wealth of upgrades that will make them feel “space age” compared to the current stock, which has been running for more than 40 years.

Perhaps most important of all, they should be vastly more reliable and less prone to breakdowns – and have on-board batteries that mean they can keep moving in the event of an overhead line failure.

Another key difference that passengers will immediately notice is the change in seating layout – with the London Tube-style linear seating replacing the current Metro layout and making carriages a far more spacious environment.

Other key new features on board include air conditioning, which will come as relief in the summer months, and USB charging ports.

The trains also have an automatic sliding step at every door to allow “seamless boarding” for the Metro’s 50,000 wheelchair passengers, as well as people with buggies, luggage or bikes.

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Friday morning’s tour also offered a first look at colourful local artwork that decorates each train.

Each train is fitted with 42 CCTV cameras which can be monitored live from the driver’s cabin, which it is hoped will help combat anti-social behaviour.

Nexus’ managing director, Martin Kearney, said: “These trains are the real gamechanger. This is all about our customers and about the future. They are the first big step for the future of transport in the North East.”