Paul Patrick, Managing Director at Stadler Rail Service UK, has issued a statement about the poor availability of the Tyne and Wear Metro fleet.

He said “We are facing the ongoing challenge to keep the 43-year-old Metro fleet going while we transition to the new trains.

“Despite our best efforts, the ageing fleet is becoming increasingly difficult to maintain and repair, leading to frequent service disruptions and customer inconvenience and I apologise for this.

“These challenges are leading to higher demands on our team and made worse by a shortage of spare parts for the older trains, resulting in extended downtime and delays in the service.

“We are doing everything we can to work through these issues including actively working with suppliers and manufacturers to source the necessary spare parts for the ageing fleet as well as increasing our team resource.

“Ultimately, we understand the impact this is having on customers and the urgency of overcoming these ongoing issues. Our priority is to provide a more reliable and efficient train service as quickly as possible.

“We are transitioning to the new £70m depot at Gosforth, which is a fantastic, modern, new facility, and Metro has a really bright future to look forward to with the first new trains already in testing and on the way towards entering service.

“The new trains will be transformative, offering greater reliability, comfort and accessibility. We appreciate customers’ patience while we transition from the old trains to the new ones.“