Nexus has formally taken delivery of the 46th and final new Class 555 train for the Tyne and Wear Metro, completing the £362m fleet replacement project two months ahead of its end-of-2026 target.
The handover by Swiss manufacturer Stadler means the full fleet has completed testing and commissioning and can now be used on daily customer services. Nexus said the programme was the biggest project in the Metro’s history.
Testing and training
The new fleet has undergone 90,000 individual tests and 37,000 kilometres of on-track testing. Nexus has also trained 480 employees as part of the programme.
Cathy Massarella, managing director of Nexus, said the milestone marked the final phase of the organisation’s most significant project since the Metro was built.
She added that the programme had involved extensive testing and a complex delivery process, from funding being announced in 2017 through to construction and the introduction of the trains into service.
Lucius Gerig, executive vice-president of Stadler’s Switzerland division, said the manufacturer was proud to have delivered all 46 trains ahead of schedule and credited the collaboration between Stadler and Nexus.
Paul Patrick, managing director of Stadler Rail Service UK, said the partnership would continue, with Stadler staff at Gosforth depot maintaining, repairing and preparing the trains for service.
New fleet enters service
The trains have been transported to the UK by rail from Stadler’s factory in Switzerland, travelling approximately 1,800 miles across mainland Europe. The first train arrived in February 2023 and entered customer service on 18 December 2024. Since then, Nexus has received a new train on average every 15 days.
The Class 555 trains were designed following a customer consultation that generated more than 23,000 responses. Features include linear seating, mobile charging points, climate control, 44 CCTV cameras, battery technology and accessibility improvements, including an automatic sliding step at each set of doors.
The final units of the previous Metro 599 fleet were withdrawn from service in June 2026.