T&W Metro interiors revealed

THE final interior design of the new Tyne & Wear Metro fleet has been unveiled. Nexus, the public body which owns and manages Metro, has finalised the design options after an unprecedented 23,000 responses from customers, employees and specialist user groups.

The consultation, delivered using interactive online platforms and augmented virtual reality workshops, has resulted in comprehensive improvements to the original design, including extra seats being added, as well as final decisions on the look and feel of doors, handholds, wheelchair spaces, cycle storage, seat fabric, internal artwork and branding.

Train manufacturer Stadler will start production of the 42 new trains in August, and the first units are expected to enter passenger service in 2023, replacing the two-car Metro-Cammell units, the earliest of which date back to 1975.

The final interior design of the new trains will include an open-plan layout based on linear seating, dedicated wheelchair spaces, plus two multi-use areas suitable for non-folding bicycles, children's buggies and luggage, a sliding step at each door to aid boarding and alighting and digital information screens at key locations throughout the carriage. Stadler is also building a new £70m Metro depot at Gosforth as part of the new fleet project.