The Tyne & Wear Metro line between St. James and Tynemouth is to close from Saturday, 16th July until Friday, 29th July to allow a major programme of modernisation work.

The closure will enable major track and overhead line renewal projects along the line to take place, as well as vegetation clearance along the full length of the line. The line will re-open to Metro services on Saturday, 30th July.

During the closure, 11 key local bus services running in the affected area will accept Metro tickets and passes. A full list of the buses can be found here. 

Also taking place during the closure is the removal of Tanners Bank bridge between Tynemouth and North Shields, so that an entirely new bridge can replace it.

The bridge needs replaced due to its age as it dates back to the Victorian era, on a line opened in 1839 and is said to have been the world’s first commuter railway line.

Tynemouth Road next to the bridge will be closed to all motor vehicles for two weeks from 16 July to 29 July, and some car parking along Tynemouth Road near the bridge will be suspended. Pedestrians and cyclists will still be able to travel along Tynemouth Road at all times.

Customer Services Director at Nexus, Huw Lewis, said:

“Customers need to plan ahead and allow plenty of time for travelling when the line is closed between St James and Tynemouth.

“There is no good time to shut a section of the Metro network, but by packing all of these works into a two-week period we can avoid many more months of weekend closures.

“The works that we are carrying out will help to secure the long-term future of Metro for many generations to come.

“We have planned this during the school summer holidays when trains are less busy. I apologise in advance for anyone who has their journey disrupted.

“Work will be taking place along the whole section of line. We will be replacing tracks and overhead lines and clearing trackside areas of vegetation.

“Tanners Bank Metro bridge, which carries 173 train services a day between Newcastle and North Tyneside, will be completely replaced. This bridge is a vital part of Metro’s infrastructure which now needs to be replaced. The current bridge was built in the mid-19th century and has served Metro for 41 years since we took the line over – but this summer is the right time to replace it.

“The new structure will ensure that we can run trains in this area for many more generations to come, and the new one will allow greater clearance above the road so that more buses and commercial vehicles are able to get down to North Shields Fish Quay.”