A retired miner has told how his experience of working underground helped contribute to the success of the Tyne and Wear Metro when the system opened in the 1980s.
John Wood, 86, of Washington, who was a miner for 40 years, has fondly recalled how his work for Metro ensured that many miles of its tracks were kept safe and secure from used mine workings.
This was vital work in order to avert any risk of the Metro lines suffering from subsidence during the first ten years of them being opened.
John was part of a team of ex-miners recruited by the Tyne and Wear PTE, now Nexus, to survey swathes of Metro’s alignments to check for mine shafts and bell pits.
He said: “I had a small but pretty significant role in preventing any of the Metro lines from suffering from subsidence.
“The project came about in the 1980s when the system was still fairly new. I got a job working for a contractor who had been brought in by the Metro operator to check for mine workings underneath the tracks, which at that point hadn’t been there for all that long.
“We worked at three locations. I recall being at Manors and Whitley Bay. We were told to drill boreholes to see if there was any coal under the lines, or if any coal had been removed.
“We drilled down and we took samples. In some areas we found coal and in other we didn’t find any. It was vital to ensure that there weren’t any mine shafts below the Metro lines. If there were any then that would have left the tracks at risk of collapse.
“Where we found a void we made a careful record of it and that was reported to the PTE. We’d then go back to fill in the mine workings. To do this we used either gravel or liquid cement.”
Stuart Clarke, Infrastructure Director at Nexus, said: “It’s fascinating to hear from former miners who played such a key role in the development of the Metro system during the 1970s and 1980s.
“In John’s case he was hired to check for mine workings along our routes through east Newcastle and North Tyneside. It was vital work, given that our region has such a rich mining heritage.
“We needed to check for mine shafts and bell pits and if any were found then we’d get them infilled to prevent any subsidence. It’s work which has stood the test of time and undoubtedly contributed to the success of the Metro system that we have today.”
“We know that there were many miners who also worked on the Metro tunnelling project from 1974, when Metro’s city centre tunnels were dug.”
Dave Anderson is the former Blaydon MP and now a trustee of the ongoing project to restore the Grade II Listed Miners’ New Hall in Durham City, which is also known as the Redhills Project.
He said: “John Wood’s work for the Metro was hugely significant. It ensured that it ran properly and that there were no issues with any mine workings below the tracks.
“There’s a lot lads from the pits who worked on the Metro, particularly on digging out the tunnels. It was right that the PTE turned to miners back then as the tunnelling work has the same principles as the works that they did tunnelling down to the coalface.
“We have brought Redhills, the Durham Miners Hall, back to life. It was great to host John’s visit because this building belongs to the ex-miners of the Durham coalfield and their families. It is the embodiment of all we did well and the values we stand by.”