Final testing complete on new Metro fleet
NexusAll of Tyne and Wear's new fleet of Metro trains are ready for carry passengers, after undergoing thousands of hours of testing.
Stadler, the Swiss train manufacturer, have formally handed over the 46th and final Class 555 to operator Nexus, two months ahead of the target deadline at the end of the year.
The final phase of the £362m project involved 90,000 individual tests across the new fleet, with trains undergoing 22,990 miles (37,000 kilometres) of on-track test runs, alongside the training of 480 employees.
"This marks the final phase of the biggest project in Metro's history," said Cathy Massarella, managing director of Nexus.
All 46 new Metro trains were brought to the UK across mainland Europe by rail from the Stadler factory in Switzerland – a journey of 1,800 miles (2,896 kilometres).
The first arrived in February 2023. The fleet began entering service in stages from December 2024.
The last few units of the original Metro 599 train fleet were withdrawn from service in June 2026.
"We set a target for the end of this year to achieve this milestone, and we've managed to get there a bit sooner than that," said Massarella.
"It's been a complex and detailed programme, from the announcement of the funding in 2017, to the start of the build process, and then roll-out into service for our customers.
"My thanks go to everyone at Nexus and to the team at Stadler for all their hard work on the project - it's been a brilliant effort by everyone involved.