METRO FLOW PROJECT UNDERWAY

A £100 MILLION track dualling scheme on the Tyne and Wear Metro has been officially launched after operator Nexus joined local council leaders and contractor Buckingham Group Contracting to cut the first piece of turf. The Metro Flow project will see an existing freight line upgraded and electrified in South Tyneside, making it capable of carrying Metro services, boosting the capacity for an extra 24,000 passengers every day. A total of £95 million has been secured from the Government’s Transforming Cities Fund, allowing Nexus to deliver the scheme, which will cost £103 million in total.

Three sections of single track will be dualled between Pelaw and Bede Metro stations, with the most intensive period of track works taking place between September and December during a 12-week major line closure.