A £600,000 project to renew all five level crossings on the Metro system has been successfully completed and will ensure they are in excellent working condition for many years to come.
The level crossings at Callerton Parkway, Bank Foot, Kingston Park and Fawdon in Newcastle have been renewed along with level crossings at Howdon and Wallsend on North Tyneside.
The work, which has been carried out in phases to minimise Metro service disruption, involved renewing the rails, the sleepers, trackside ballast and the road surface decking on each crossing.
Replacement of the rails was a particularly important element of the scheme to ensure the future integrity of the tracks, which see hundreds of train movements every single day.
Metro engineers have also improved the track geometry on each level crossing to provide passengers with a smoother ride as the train passes through. This also creates less wear and tear on both the tracks and on the trains themselves.
The new road decking is of the latest industry standard and has award-winning ‘Holdfast’ rubber panel systems which give benefit to users through improved surfacing and skid resistance.
Metro Director, Mick Carbro, said: “This programme of work has gone extremely well and will ensure our level crossings are in tip top condition for many years.
“The work has been complex, and it has involved some service disruption, but we have managed it extremely well and kept the disruption to a minimum and hit all of our deadlines for getting it done.
“Infrastructure renewals like this are essential for Metro’s long term future and to ensure we can continue to offer a fast and frequent service to our passengers.”
Metro engineers carried out the level crossing works during a series of planned work schedules. This allowed them to carry out other essential bits of engineering work at the same time, making it less disruptive and more cost effective.
The level crossings on the Sunderland Metro line are owned and maintained by Network rail.