Nexus, who operates the Tyne and Wear Metro, have announced that they are supporting their local heritage line, the Tanfield Railway, by supplying them with railway equipment.

As part of a £70 million project to rebuild facilities at the Gosforth Depot, there was a large number of sleepers and other railway items that were removed.

With these items still in serviceable condition, VolkerFitzPatrick and their subcontractor have donated these to the Tanfield Railway.

This is fantastic news for the line and will provide a big boost to the preserved line.

The Tanfield Railway runs from Sunniside in Gateshead to East Tanfield in County Durham and can trace its history back to 1725.

The new depot will be home to the new fleet of trains on the Tyne & Wear Metro network and these works prepare for the demolition of the old building in the Spring.

To help with the maintenance of the fleet while the works take place, a new depot has been built at Howdon.

Metro Development Director Neil Blagburn said: “It’s fantastic that our depot modernisation project can bring benefit to local heritage railways, who often rely on donations like this.”

“No doubt there will be a great deal more equipment and materials looking to be repurposed as we press ahead with the complete transformation of our 100-year-old depot at Gosforth.”

“The Tanfield Railway in particular, were keen to get some of the old sleepers from us. It is among the world’s oldest railways and it’s big honour to have a few pieces of the Metro network helping to support such a local icon.”

Marcus Dench, senior project manager for VolkerFitzpatrick, said: “A key aim for our team, throughout this project, is to find sustainable ways to repurpose old materials. We are putting the environment first and are looking at ways we can divert waste from landfill and reduce our carbon emissions, and we hope to work with other local enterprises, to meet this goal, in the future.”

Richard Thew, project manager at Trackwork, said: “We are delighted to be working on this project with VolkerFitzpatrick, and we were happy to help donate the materials to the local heritage railway.”

Tanfield Railway General Manager David Watchman said:  “The new Metro fleet is an exciting project for the future of transport in the region. But it’s great to see that it’s also helping to preserve some of the north east’s unique heritage.”

“We’re really grateful to Nexus, Stadler and VolkerFitzpatrick for this donation. Equipment like this is often very hard to obtain new, and of course, re-using it in this way is much better for the environment. Our volunteers are looking forward to putting it to good use as we prepare for our 300th anniversary in 2025.”

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