More Metro misery for passengers
FAILED trains, low rail adhesion and packed carriages created a second day of Metro misery for commuters across Tyne and Wear yesterday - again.
The Metro network was back up and running after a day which saw almost all services cancelled until late evening on Sunday but despite yesterday’s return to operation commuters faced a day fraught with problems.
Last night Tobyn Hughes, the managing director of Nexus, which operates the Metro, issued an open letter to passengers apologising for what he said was an “unprecedented” day in the network’s history.
But earlier passengers could be seen squeezing onto carriages at Wallsend and Chillingham Road when services were running behind schedule due to leaves on the tracks.
Trains travelling between South Shields and South Gosforth, and Benton and South Shields, were beset by delays after two trains were withdrawn while a failed train at Gateshead Stadium added 15 minute delays to services travelling from south of the river.
A Nexus spokesman said the services were affected when a passenger was taken ill on board a train at Jarrow and there was a fault at Gateshead.
He added: “We’re sorry for any inconvenience these separate incidents will have caused.
“Metro maintained a frequent service across the day but not to timetable due to low rail adhesion, which reduces the grip beneath trains as leaves are crushed to a slippery pulp beneath wheels.
“We sent out specialist trains to clean the rails which helped keep services on the move across the system.”
Rail users took to Twitter to express their anger at the second day of problems.
Andy Raper described the service as “Useless. Incompetent. Embarrassing. Shambolic. Unacceptable. Dangerous. Disgrace.”
Graham Stokoe tweeted: “Feel like David Attenborough - I’ve just see the rarely spotted Metro train.”
And Peter Bull said the Metro “desperately needs investment and upgrades more than anything in London does! Hopefully @My_ Metro will get some urgently!”
Following two days of chaos Coun Michael Mordey of Sunderland City Council, has sought assurances lessons have been learned following what he branded a “catastrophic failure”.