Tyne and Wear Metro Completes £362 Million Class 555 Stadler Train Rollout Across North East Network

Ushering in a New Era of Mass Transit for North East England

NEWCASTLE UPON TYNE, United Kingdom — Public transport executive Nexus has reached the definitive milestone in the historic £362 million fleet transition across the Tyne and Wear Metro, solidifying full passenger service deployment for all 46 bespoke Class 555 Stadler trainsets. The operational rollout marks the complete retirement of the legacy Class 599 'Metrocars', which faithfully served the metropolitan network for 46 years since its inauguration in 1980.

Manufactured by Swiss rail builder Stadler and based at the newly redeveloped £70 million Gosforth Depot, the high-tech train fleet delivers a step-change in passenger comfort, accessibility, and operational performance across the 77-kilometer, 60-station transit network linking Newcastle, Gateshead, Sunderland, and North and South Tyneside. Nexus finalized the comprehensive driver training curriculum, qualifying more than 200 operations staff on the advanced digital cab controls.

Universal Step-Free Accessibility and Modern Cabin Comfort

The Class 555 trains introduce groundbreaking accessibility technology tailored specifically to the North East transit system. Each doorway is equipped with an automatic sliding step that extends out to meet the platform edge as doors open, creating an unbroken level-boarding threshold that allows wheelchair users, mobility scooters, and passengers with prams to board and alight independently without station staff ramps.

Inside, the trains feature open-gangway walk-through carriages, modern air-conditioning and climate control, linear seating layouts that maximize floor space, on-board USB device charging hubs, and dynamic digital route displays. Passenger security is fortified with 44 high-definition digital CCTV cameras per train alongside direct driver intercom totems, establishing one of the safest urban transit environments in the UK rail sector.

Regenerative Braking and Future-Proof Battery Traction

Engineered for high energy efficiency, the Stadler trainsets incorporate advanced regenerative braking technology, which recovers kinetic energy during deceleration and returns it directly into the Metro overhead power grid, lowering network electricity consumption by up to 30 percent. Crucially, the trains feature on-board traction battery energy storage, enabling short-range emergency operation during overhead line power disruptions and creating technical capacity for future network extensions without costly overhead wire electrification.

North East civic authorities hailed the completed fleet transition as a pillar of regional economic growth and decarbonization, ensuring that hundreds of thousands of daily commuters enjoy clean, dependable, and world-class mass transit connectivity across Tyne and Wear.