Time capsule buried as part of Metro’s 40th anniversary

A time capsule has been buried as part of the Tyne and Wear Metro’s 40th anniversary celebrations.

Local school children helped to pick out a range of Metro memorabilia to preserve for future generations.

The time capsule was buried at the Gosforth Metro fleet depot in Newcastle ahead of its £70 million rebuild, which starts in earnest next year.

Among the items that were sealed away were children’s letters and drawings about Metro, original designs, newspaper cuttings, archive videos and photos, components from signals and track, and a Swiss cow bell and brochure from Stadler, who are building the new Metro fleet. More contemporary items like badges, posters, and Pop cards.

Director General of Nexus, Tobyn Hughes, said: “The time capsule marks the 40th year of Metro operations and preserves some of that proud heritage for future generations to explore.

“Metro has played such a big part of everyday the life of this area since it opened in 1980 and we want to ensure that those memories are retained.

“A whole range of memorabilia has gone into the time capsule, from school children’s letters about Metro to the very components which have made the system run.

“It’s fitting that we bury it on the site of out Gosforth depot ahead of the rebuilding works starting there, as we look ahead a state of the art new depot, a new fleet of trains and a really bright future for the network.”

Rob Baxter, managing director of Stadler Rail Service UK, responsible for Gosforth depot, added: “Although the depot is steeped in history, it’s very much part of the future, with work starting to build a brand new facility soon and state-of-the-art new trains arriving in a few years. The time capsule will shed light on what life was like and give a valuable insight into early 21st century interests and preoccupations, for generations to come.”

Nexus, the public body which owns and manages Metro, is marking Metro’s 40th year with a range of COVID secure events.
The Tyne and Wear Metro turned 40 on August 11 this year.

Events marking the anniversary have included a virtual Metro depot tour, the launch of a new online Metro game, a Metro memories website, and the first original Metrocar 4001 painted in a special heritage colour scheme.

Nexus said the network was a regional icon which has become one of North East England’s most successful transport projects.

Metro has carried 1.5 billion passengers over four decades of operations.

Photo credit: Nexus

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