The Tyne and Wear Metro will need hundreds of millions of pounds worth of new government investment to replace a “critical” system – or risk a catastrophic failure that could shut down the train network by 2030.
North East officials will urge the Department for Transport to step in with a major cash injection to upgrade the Metro’s signalling system.
Nexus managing director Cathy Massarella described the signalling infrastructure, which dates back to the 1970s, as the “safety-critical system that underpins the entire network” and said her concerns about its operation will “really ramp up” by the end of this decade.
It is expected that the project would cost more than the £362 million being spent on the building of the Metro’s new fleet of trains, though latest estimates suggest it may not cost the £500 million previously predicted.
A strong case
In an interview with the Local Democracy Reporting Service, Massarella said she believed Nexus would have a “very strong” case for the Department for Transport (DfT) to pay for the scheme – even amid Whitehall budget-cutting that last week saw the dualling of the A1 in Northumberland cancelled.
She added: “If one unit [train] stops working, that doesn’t mean the Metro stops working. But if a fundamental part of the signalling system stops working and you can’t get the parts for it, then the Metro does stop working. It is a more drastic, hard stop point.”
Nexus submitted a first draft of a business case for the signalling system replacement to the DfT last month and is hoping for backing that would allow it start a procurement process in 2026/27, to enable a contractor to be found and the new system installed by 2030.
Concerns
There are concerns that the current system will become increasingly failure-prone and more difficult to find new parts for, at a time when North East transport officials hope the arrival of the new fleet will herald a brighter era for the Metro.
The Nexus MD added: “It is the safety-critical system that underpins the entire network. If we get to such a point that the age of the system is beyond its technical expiry, you just cannot get the parts to maintain it. Also, the skills to maintain it are a dying breed as everyone moves into digitisation.
“The business case explains that. I do appreciate we are at a time of severe fiscal challenge. This is the nature of the lobbying, the business case, and why the mayor’s voice and the combined authority support will be so important to us.
“It is critical to the region and it is the foundation that needs to happen to allow us to do all the other things that are being discussed, like the Washington extension and so on. You need to have a solid foundation on which to develop your offer.”
A commitment from North East mayor
During her election campaign, North East mayor Kim McGuinness promised “urgent” talks with ministers to secure investment in a new signalling system.
She said this week:
“I have committed to securing investment in new Metro signalling in my manifesto and in my new draft Local Transport Plan which is out to public consultation now. This is a really important project for the future of public transport in the North East.
“A new signalling system is vital to ensure Nexus can run a safe, reliable Metro system for the tens of thousands of people who use it every day. Without this investment our Metro would be very difficult to run by 2030 and we cannot allow this to happen. I am regularly speaking to ministers about this and highlighting the need for an urgent solution.”
