Three months of Metro closure begins next week
Passengers in South Tyneside will face almost three months of massive disruption, with the Metro lines completely closed between Pelaw and South Shields
Starting on Monday 12th September - the day after the Great North Run - passengers will see the biggest line closure in the history of the Tyne and Wear Metro.
The entire branch will be closed between Pelaw and South Shields for 12 weeks, with services expected to resume on the 4th of December.
The closure is in place to allow the ‘Metro Flow’ project to be completed, a major upgrade that transport bosses have been planning for years.
Engineers will be dualling three single-track sections of the Metro line located between Pelaw and Hebburn (800 metres), Hebburn and Jarrow (1.4km) and Jarrow and Bede (600 metres). This will be done by upgrading and electrifying an infrequently used freight line so both Metro and freight trains can share the route.
It will also help pave the way for a future expansion of the Metro network, potentially connecting up to a long-awaited new loop to Washington using the mothballed Leamside Line.
The total cost of the project is £104m, £95m of which has come from the government’s Transforming Cities Fund. The remainder will be paid via other Nexus modernisation funding also provided by the government.
South Tyneside Council leader Tracey Dixon said: “Having a safe, reliable and sustainable public transport network is crucial for people to get around, whether they are travelling to work, education or for recreation.
“The planned line closure marks a significant step in the Metro Flow project, an investment which will bring long term benefits to the Borough and the wider region.
“Although it does mean there will be major disruption over the coming months for those who use the Metro to travel to and from South Tyneside, people are assured that once the Metro Flow project is complete, it will make a huge difference with journey times and frequency vastly improved.
“The track dualling will also help to minimise disruption if problems occur while creating scope for expansion of the Metro network in the future.”
What are the alternatives?
Nexus says it has a fleet of 23 buses, provided by Go North East, ready to roll when the closures start on Monday, allowing for a bus service every 10 minutes and more at peak times.
An express X900 bus will run from South Shields Interchange direct to Heworth, calling only at Jarrow along the way, designed for passengers wanting to get into Newcastle by getting on the Metro at Heworth.
A separate 900 bus will run between Heworth and South Shields and back,
calling at all of the Metro stations on the route.
Customer services director at Nexus, Huw Lewis said: “We are making sure that during the major line closure our customers are provided with a really good replacement bus service.
“The buses can’t exactly replicate the frequency of Metro services, but the number of buses will provide a service every ten minutes, and this will be even more frequent at the busiest times when demand is at its highest.
“There will also be an express service to help people get between South Shields and Heworth more quickly to connect into the Metro line at Heworth.
“Customers need to plan ahead and allow some extra time when they are travelling in the affected area.”
You can find out more information and full timetables on the Nexus website.