New track laid for temporary Metro train depot

New rail lines are being installed for a temporary Tyne and Wear Metro fleet depot in North Tyneside, which is scheduled to open this summer.

The former landfill site in Howdon has been undergoing extensive track installation works.

A total of 12 of new lines, totalling 1.5km, have gone in over the last three months along with 13 new track junctions and 1,000 sleepers, with some of the works requiring planned weekend line closures.

The lines are needed so that trains can access the new depot buildings from the adjacent main Metro line.

Nexus, the public body which owns and manages Metro, is building the depot so that it has a temporary maintenance facility for the current Metro fleet while the main depot in Gosforth in Newcastle is rebuilt.

Metro Development Director, Neil Blagburn, said: “The temporary Metro depot is making excellent progress. The new tracks and junctions are in place so that we can get the trains in and out of this vital new facility.

“The next phase will see the new depot building constructed. It will really start to take shape over the next few months.

“We must have this depot in place so that we can carry out all of our essential fleet engineering and maintenance work while we transition to the new main depot over the next four years.”

Work to rebuild Metro’s Gosforth depot will start in August. Nexus will transition into this new depot up to 2024, when all 42 of the new trains will have arrived.

The Howdon depot will be used for the overnight stabling, cleaning and preparation of up to ten Metro trains during the redevelopment of Metro’s main Gosforth depot.

Buckingham Group Contracting Ltd is building the temporary Metro depot on behalf of Nexus.

Nexus has appointed Stadler, the Swiss train manufacturer, to builds its new £362m train fleet.

Stadler will also build and run a new £70m Metro maintenance facility located at Metro’s current depot site in Gosforth, as part of the deal, creating scores of jobs in construction and employing around 100 people directly.

Photo and video credit: Nexus

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