Part of Tyne and Wear Metro to close for 7 days
A busy section of Metro line between Benton and North Shields is to close for seven days next week to allow for a major programme overhead line renewal work.
A busy section of Metro line between Benton and North Shields is to close for seven days next week to allow for a major programme overhead line renewal work.
Nexus, the public body which runs Metro, will be replacing power lines along a 5.6km stretch of the network alongside a range of other lineside estate works.
It will also allow for works to take place as part of the ongoing refurbishment schemes at Whitley Bay and Monkseaton Metro stations.
Buses will replace trains between Four Lane Ends and North Shields from Monday, 8 April, through to Sunday 14 April. Customers are advised to plan ahead and allow extra time for their journeys.
The line will re-open to Metro services on Monday 15 April.
The replacement bus service, 900, will run in the affected area, calling at or near all Metro stations on the route.
Stuart Clarke, Metro Infrastructure Director, said: “This seven day major line closure is to allow for our ongoing multi-million pound investment in Metro modernisation to ensure that the network is here for many decades to come.
“These works will involve the renewal of vital overhead lines along a 5.6 kilometre section of our network. We are also carrying out a range of other secondary works which includes lineside estate management and station refurbishment works at Whitley Bay and Cullercoats.
“While there is no good time to close a large section of the Metro system, the works will improve Metro’s resilience in the future. We will do all we can to keep any disturbance to an absolute minimum, and I apologise in advance for the inconvenience this will cause.
“Customers will be provided with frequent replacement bus services throughout this work and need to allow a bit of extra time to make their journey in the area where the line is closed.
“If you’re heading into Newcastle, where possible get the Metro from North Shields and head into town via Wallsend.”
Investment in new Metro infrastructure will reach ÂŁ38m in the current year to the end of March 2024.
Nexus tell us the Metro’s modernisation programme is funded by the Government. By March a total of £446m will have been invested on the renewal of Metro infrastructure since work began in 2010, Nexus said.