Drivers of the Tyne and Wear Metro‘s new Class 555 trains have overwhelmingly given them their approval after taking part in a series of test runs.

As part of preparing the trains entering service at the end of this year, drivers have completed a series of night-time tests, and those will continue throughout the coming weeks and months.

The first test took place on 10th May between South Gosforth and Monkseaton with Metro drivers Jon Doughty and Chris Mongan in charge. They expressed amazement at the quality and performance of the new trains, likening them to going from a classic car to a supercar.

Metro drivers Jon Doughty and Chris Mongan. // Credit: Nexus

Nexus has ordered 46 of the new trains from Stadler, and before entering service they are undergoing extensive testing and driver training.

So far, Stadler has delivered three of the new trains, and more are due to be delivered later this year. The new trains will enter service in phases, with all of them planned to be in service by next year.

The new trains have a comfortable, air-conditioned, open-plan layout with a sleekly modelled interior, that sets new standards for accessibility.

An automatic sliding step at every door allows seamless boarding, making travel easier for the 50,000 wheelchair passengers who travel on Metro each year, as well as people with children’s buggies, luggage, or bicycles.

During the coming months, the new trains will undergo rigorous testing to ensure that they interface correctly with signalling systems and other Metro infrastructure.

Metro driver and RMT union rep, Chris Mongan, said: “It was a big moment for me personally as I’ve been involved with the project for the last three years. These new trains are great for Metro and for the whole region.

“It’s a once in a lifetime opportunity many of us that have been involved and to be able to go out on the new train’s first night of testing on the system was a real privilege.

“I don’t think the test could have gone any better to be honest. We know what the new train is capable of, and we know what a great asset it is going to be. We have watched it grow from a sketch on a piece of paper into the finished product that we see now.

“We knew it was going to be good, and we know we have taken a light-year leap forward, but to actually be on board it, and experience it first-hand, was amazing.

“The new train outperformed anything that we could have imagined. The drive was smooth. The braking system was operating perfectly well, and the dynamic braking and power were spot on.”

Metro driver and ASLEF union rep, Jon Doughty, said: “The testing is vital to get the new trains ready for customer service.

“They are testing the brakes at different speeds. Testing the doors. Testing the automatic sliding step.

“Everything went exceptionally well on that first test run. The train was out on the network for four hours without any major problems. It was an excellent and historic occasion for the Tyne and Wear Metro, and for the North East.”

He added: “The torque on the new Stadler train was unbelievable compared to what we are driving at the moment. It’s just a hundred times better. It’s smooth, we have air conditioning, and we have brand new seats in a modern new driver’s cab. It’s just a move the future.

“We have been driving the same trains for 40 years, and they have technology which is over 40 years old. Going to the new train is like making the switch from a mark one escort to a Lamborghini.

“It’s an absolutely fantastic piece of kit to drive. It’s unbelievable. We are just so excited to actually get behind the wheel of these new trains and drive them, and to welcome customers on board.”