On 11 August 2020 Tyne and Wear Metro celebrated its 40th anniversary – having carried over 1.5 billion people since it opened in 1980.
Time has flown since that memorable summer’s day when the network first opened to passengers.
We are sure that 11 August 1980 will live long in the memory for those who were there, and since then it has become a part of everyday life for thousands of people, who rely on the service to get to places of work, schools, colleges, and for leisure activities.
Metro is undoubtedly one of our region’s greatest post-war achievements. It’s a source of immense pride, affection, and is the envy of other UK cities.
The local politicians and PTE staff who made it become a reality, in a bid to solve local road congestion, were pioneers. They were told it would cost too much and that it may not be possible.
They held firm and they won the argument. Tunnels were driven beneath the streets of Newcastle and Gateshead. Stations and viaducts were constructed.
A new bridge was built over the Tyne and a fleet of 90 Metro trains was purchased. Building work began in 1974 and the first passenger services were running by August 1980, though the official opening by Her Majesty the Queen took place the following year, on 6th November 1981.
We brought the Metro to South Shields in 1984, to Newcastle Airport in 1991, and to Sunderland in 2002.
