All 46 new Tyne and Wear Metro trains have now been delivered, marking a significant milestone in the £362 million fleet renewal programme led by Nexus. The final train arrived at the Gosforth depot in the early hours of 21 February, completing the order built by Swiss manufacturer Stadler.

The new fleet of Class 555s began entering passenger service at the end of 2024 and is already transforming the customer experience. Nexus expects the entire Metro timetable to be operated by the new trains by the summer. Each unit undergoes rigorous testing before entering service to ensure safety and reliability.

The remaining older trains are scheduled to be withdrawn between late spring and early summer, with further details about their final weeks due to be announced. Much of the outgoing fleet will be recycled.

The rollout represents the largest and most complex project in Metro’s history. Since February 2023, when the first train was delivered, all 46 units have travelled 1,800 miles from Stadler’s factory in Switzerland, hauled across Europe and through the Channel Tunnel to the UK.

Designed following a public consultation that generated more than 23,000 responses, the trains feature linear seating, charging points, climate control, enhanced CCTV, battery technology, and improved accessibility, including automatic sliding steps for seamless boarding.

“I’m delighted to confirm that all 46 new Tyne and Wear Metro trains have been successfully delivered to our region.   

“This is another significant moment for the project, which is getting closer to completion. It is the culmination of a huge amount of hard work by our own teams and by our colleagues at Stadler.”

Cathy Massarella, Managing Director of Nexus.

“We already have more than half of the new Metro fleet available for customer service, and we are on course for all 46 trains to be ready by the end of this year. 

“The new Metro trains are already proving to be transformative for customers. They represent a bright future for the Metro service. 

“Our focus is to get all of the remaining new trains through testing and kilometre accumulation and ready for service, so the hard work will carry on from here. “

Cathy Massarella, Managing Director of Nexus.