(19 May 2016, 11:23 am)Bus_User wrote I don't really know the full ins and outs of the contract but I think the plan was always to refurbish the existing fleet regardless who won the contract. I keep hearing rumours Nexus turned down new trains in favour for refurbishment but I have never seen that anywhere and besides, new trains take a lot of planning to do and I always read the current signalling system will all have to be replaced before new trains even enter the system. There is also the issues with the OHL also, especially on the Sunderland section(seeing as any potential future electrification on the Durham Coast line will have to use the same voltage as the Metro) so whilst the public will think new trains should be right here and right now, bit of common sence would tell you that won't be the case.
I also ask myself, is the current reliability issues down to the age of the trains themselves or the refurbishment work done to them? Either way, I think some perspective have to be taken into account that for the vast majority of passengers, 9 times out of 10, your journey from A to B will be uneventful and there will be no issues, no doubt social media has increased the awareness of the issues and they should be addressed of course.
There were delays not infrequently, when I used the system a lot in the early 90s, but they tended to be down to electrical problems eg cable theft on a hot day when it was easy to do (oh yes!) Problems with the actual trains seemed to be few and far between and delays were more often down to heavy use, eg on match day, so whichever way, the condition of the trains is more of a problem, now.
And being late for work one day a fortnight will get some people into a lot of trouble, so a 9/10 success rate is a bit poor, really!