Nexus, operators of the Tyne and Wear Metro, has ramped up the £100m track dualling scheme and will bring shorter journey times and an increase in service frequency and reliability

The Metro Flow project will see the upgrade and electrification of an existing freight line in South Tyneside which will allow the operation of Metro services. The project is set to bring many improvements including an increase in capacity for an additional 24,000 customer journeys each day.

Work is already underway with the new overhead line already put in place for the new Metro line. The project is also seeing an extra push forward ahead of a three-month major line closure from Monday the 12th of September through to Monday, December the 5th. The closure will allow major works to be completed including three single sections of line dualled between Pelaw and South Shields.

During the major closure, an enhanced replacement bus service will be put in place for the areas affected and will provide customers with access to a frequent bus service.

£95m has been funded via the Government’s Transforming Cities Fund, which has allowed Nexus who operate Metro to action the scheme, which will cost £103m in total.

Head of Metro Flow, Tom Hardwick, said: “This month marks a step-change in the delivery of the Metro Flow project, which will transform Metro by allowing Nexus to increase the service frequency systemwide.

“Customers and our Neighbours will start to see the delivery of the first of the new overhead line masts which will be installed in the trial holes currently being dug on site.

“While the majority of the works will be completed during two-weekend closers at the end of June and beginning of July followed by a 12-week major line closure in September, the team will be working every night when trains are not running in order to minimise disruption to our customers as much as possible.”

The Metro Flow project will see many benefits, including:

• Increase in the frequency of Metro trains to one every 10 minutes outside of central areas
• Provision of capacity for an extra 24,000 passengers a day
• Improvements in reliability alongside quicker recovery from major disruptions
• Improved support for major events such as the Great North Run, Sunderland International Airshow, stadium concerts, and major sporting events
• The project will unlock the door for the expansion of the Metro system

The funding will also mean that Nexus can buy four more new trains in addition to the 42 which are already ordered.

Metro Flow will also see three sections of single track on the Metro network dualled between Pelaw and Bede Metro station. Three single-track sections on the Metro network see trains using the same line for both directions, these are between Pelaw and Hebburn, Hebburn and Jarrow and Jarrow and Bede.

The vast project will be undertaken by Buckingham Group Contracting Ltd who were awarded the £55m tender for the construction stage of the Metro Flow project.