A busy section of Metro line in North Tyneside will close for five days to allow for a major programme of overhead line renewal work.
We are carrying out the major line closure between Benton and North Shields, Monday 31 July to Friday 4 August.
The five-day closure will deliver new overhead line along a 2km section of line, forming part of a £36.4m wire renewal programme that started in 2011 and is expected to run through to 2025.
The focus of the overhead line renewal work will be on the stretch of line between Tynemouth and Monkseaton, but in order to carry out the work safely the area of closure needs to be wider as high voltage power needs to be turned off.
We'll be packing a range of the projects into the major line closure, including signalling upgrades, track renewal, station improvements, and vegetation clearance.
Customers will be provided with a frequent replacement bus, 900, service during the closure, calling at or near all Metro stations North Shields – Four Lane Ends.
The line between Benton and North Shields will re-open as usual on Saturday 5 August.
A total of 106 kilometres of wire is being replaced on Metro as part of a rolling programme, which is one of the biggest maintenance projects ever undertaken on the network.
Metro Infrastructure Director, Stuart Clarke, said: “This is vital investment in new Metro infrastructure in North Tyneside ahead of welcoming our new trains into service.
“The work to replace such a long stretch of overhead line can only be carried out safely during a major line closure. This will be in place for five full days, 31 July to 4 August.
“Customers travelling through the affected area are advised to plan journeys in advance and allow time to make their journeys.
“I understand this causes some disruption, and we always try to make closures as short as possible and to provide a good replacement bus service when there are lines affected, but it is necessary to make sure that the Metro system is fit for the future.”
He added: “This is the same wire that was installed 40 years ago when Metro was first opened so it has become worn and more prone to failure.
“If it fails then that becomes disruptive to the services that we provide, so by renewing the wire this is an investment in helping to ensure that the Metro stays as reliable as possible for years to come.
“The work involves the old wires being unclipped and then taken down and then the new wire is put up. We then do a process called registration which involves getting the wire into the precise locations that it needs to be in before we do tests and assurances so that we can allow the trains to start running again.”
Overhead lines are used to conduct electricity to trains. Without them the trains simply wouldn’t run. These power lines have been there since the Tyne and Wear Metro was built – which is why this current renewal work is so essential.