Nexus, the owner and operator of the Tyne and Wear Metro, will shift from the old depot and the new facility in phases by 2024. Credit: Thomas B. from Pixabay.

Nexus has announced that demolition work at its 100-year-old Gosforth Metro depot in Newcastle, UK, has started to enable the construction of a £70m facility on the same site.

Contractor Thompsons of Prudhoe is carrying out the demolition.

Related Company Profiles

View all

The new environmentally friendly depot will house the new metro train fleet and is expected to be completed in about two and a half years.

Tyne and Wear Metro owner and operator Nexus will transition from the old depot to the new facility in phases by 2024.

Swiss train builder Stadler has appointed VolkerFitzpatrick for the construction of the depot and will supply the new metro train fleet on behalf of Nexus.

A total of 42 new Metro trains will be delivered to Nexus by 2024.

How well do you really know your competitors?

Access the most comprehensive Company Profiles on the market, powered by GlobalData. Save hours of research. Gain competitive edge.

Company Profile – free sample

Thank you!

Your download email will arrive shortly

Not ready to buy yet? Download a free sample

We are confident about the unique quality of our Company Profiles. However, we want you to make the most beneficial decision for your business, so we offer a free sample that you can download by submitting the below form

By GlobalData
Visit our Privacy Policy for more information about our services, how we may use, process and share your personal data, including information of your rights in respect of your personal data and how you can unsubscribe from future marketing communications. Our services are intended for corporate subscribers and you warrant that the email address submitted is your corporate email address.

Last October, Stadler took over maintenance of the old fleet and will now be responsible for the upkeep of the new trains for 35 years.

Metro Development Director Neil Blagburn said: “The start of the demolition work at Gosforth depot is the first major stage in the works that will transform our fleet maintenance facilities for generations to come. The current depot has stood there for 100 years and has been the home for Metro since the late 1970s. It’s a very old building that is long past its best and while we’re sad in some respects to see it go, it is essential that we take the opportunity to construct a new state-of-the-art depot for our new trains.

“It will allow the train maintainer to introduce the very latest maintenance practices, which will benefit our customers for years to come. The depot transformation is already well underway and will continue over the next two and a half years with the old buildings disappearing in phases. We are storing up to a quarter of our trains at our satellite depot in Howdon throughout this process.”

The new trains will have contemporary features such as air conditioning and charging points.

They are also expected to reduce energy consumption by 30% and claimed to be 15 times more dependable.