Metro drivers start training at new centre

A RECORD number of new Metro drivers are in training at a new £8.4m Nexus Learning Centre in South Shields.

Thirty recruits – Metro’s biggest ever single intake of drivers – are among the first to use the purposebuilt facility, which has opened its doors for the first time following the completion of construction work over the summer.

Nexus, the public body which owns and manages the Tyne and Wear Metro, has built the new Learning Centre to bring a wide range of rail infrastructure and operations training under one roof.

The development has been funded through a £7m grant from the Government’s Local Growth Fund through the North East Local Enterprise Partnership and a £1.4m contribution by Nexus.

The biggest ever number of new Metro train crews are being trained after previous schools were halted due to the unavailability of national testing centres as a result of the March lockdown.

Nexus chief operating officer Martin Kearney said: “This facility is part of our vision of an exciting future for Nexus.

“Metro drivers are among the first ones to use these modern facilities as we push ahead with the latest training schools.

“The Learning Centre will transform the quality of the training we provide to our workforce and industry partners.

“A lot of our training was previously being delivered in mobile classrooms, so this new building heralds a new era and a step change in quality.”

Helen Golightly, chief executive of the North East Local Enterprise Partnership, said: “The new Nexus Learning Centre is a fantastic example of the positive impact the Local Growth Fund is having in the North East LEP region.

“The new Nexus Learning Centre will help create more and better jobs in the North East, and support the continued improvements to Tyne and Wear Metro.”

The Nexus Learning Centre boasts a 70-metre stretch of dual track for rail infrastructure training, including track, track points, signalling and overhead line.

It will eventually be home to a new computerised Metro driver training simulator, in preparation for the delivery of new Metro trains. It will also allow engineering staff to learn how to maintain the new trains, which are set to start arriving in 2022 and enter services in 2023.