New trains are coming to the Tyne and Wear Metro – and a new depot is needed to maintain them. In January 2020 Nexus awarded Stadler a contract to build the new Metro fleet, and as well as maintenance of both the outgoing and new trains this included the requirement to rebuild the depot at Gosforth.
Stadler is supplying 46 Metro trains, which are of five-car formation and powered by the Metro’s 1,500V DC overhead system. The first bodyshells have been completed at Stadler’s St Margrethen plant in Switzerland, and the first train is due to be delivered by rail to Newcastle in November 2022. Following testing, commissioning and training, the trains are due to start carrying passengers in mid-2023.