Rode a few Metros using my Explorer today, and the journeys were severely crowded as a result of the match.

4047 & 4059 were pretty messy inside while 4070 & 4068 were a wee bit better.

(31 Jan 2015, 4:19 pm)MarcTheA4 wrote Rode a few Metros using my Explorer today, and the journeys were severely crowded as a result of the match.

4047 & 4059 were pretty messy inside while 4070 & 4068 were a wee bit better.

Do I want to know?

If anyone is wanting metro photos, a refurbished set is heading North on the A1.

On a low loader approaching York

There are delays of up to 25 mins to trains running between Gateshead and South Hylton due to a failed train. Please leave extra time for your journey.

Oh dear!

(03 Feb 2015, 5:47 pm)Michael wrote There are delays of up to 25 mins to trains running between Gateshead and South Hylton due to a failed train. Please leave extra time for your journey.

Oh dear!

Why cant they say systemwide south of Gateshead as surely trains going to South Shields would be affected too?

(03 Feb 2015, 5:58 pm)Robert wrote Why cant they say systemwide south of Gateshead as surely trains going to South Shields would be affected too?

That means they're just 1 minute late then... Frequency Gateshead to S Hylton: 12 minutes. Double that: 24 minutes - if trains are running 25 minutes late they're 1 minute late if classed as the one due to depart.

(03 Feb 2015, 6:01 pm)Tommy_1581 wrote That means they're just 1 minute late then... Frequency Gateshead to S Hylton: 12 minutes. Double that: 24 minutes - if trains are running 25 minutes late they're 1 minute late if classed as the one due to depart.

The reality is that they'll not really be running to timetable at all... The departures out of Gateshead at the moment will be something like:

South Hylton 20m
Pelaw 21m
South Hylton 21m
South Shields 22m
South Shields 23m
Sunderland 24m
Pelaw 25m
Pelaw 26m
South Hylton 27m

..then there'll be another huge gap in the timetable.

Oh, and let's not forget that the first and second South Hylton trains will get regulated at Pelaw, and people will have to alight and then you'll have three Metros worth of people on that example terminating at Sunderland (with Sunderland - South Hylton being regulated).

A train has broken down at Felling, resulting in delays to the entire network. I have been stationary on the bank just before Pelaw for over 15 minutes now.

(06 Feb 2015, 8:21 am)Dan wrote A train has broken down at Felling, resulting in delays to the entire network. I have been stationary on the bank just before Pelaw for over 15 minutes now.

Another day... another problem.... getting worse.

GNE accepting tickets on the 27 between the points above....

(06 Feb 2015, 8:23 am)Michael wrote Another day... another problem.... getting worse.

GNE accepting tickets on the 27 between the points above....

Tell me about it............

4 lots of trains (at least) at Pelaw sidings..... Mine is trying to get on the platform but obviously they have to wait until the train has been turned around from Heworth......

Stressed is an understatement.......

#ReplaceMetroWithBusways
#hashtagsonNEB

GNE no longer accepting tickets on the 27 but are providing a Metro Replacement service. Guess passengers will be waiting 30+ mins for a low floor bus though, as two Olympians are out and only one Vyking.

Seems to be a skeleton service between Heworth and South Shields/Hylton.

(06 Feb 2015, 10:52 am)Dan wrote GNE no longer accepting tickets on the 27 but are providing a Metro Replacement service. Guess passengers will be waiting 30+ mins for a low floor bus though, as two Olympians are out and only one Vyking.

Seems to be a skeleton service between Heworth and South Shields/Hylton.

Does the Metro Replacement 900 have to be approved by VOSA before it starts?

What's broken down at Felling? Mainline train or Metro?

This "incident" has been going on since 09:00 according to Nexus' Metro page...

(06 Feb 2015, 11:34 am)Tommy_1581 wrote This "incident" has been going on since 09:00 according to Nexus' Metro page...

The incident has been ongoing since 08:00am.

I was on the 07:50am train from Stadium of Light to Gateshead, and we arrived at the Pelaw signal (where the green and yellow lines meet) at 08:06am. Judging by the train announcements, I guessed there was a train in front of us at Pelaw, which could not move. The driver later established that the train in front of that (presumably the 07:57 train from Pelaw - Monkseaton) had broken down at Felling station.

Another customer on my train suggested that there had also been a power cut. She worked at a school in Newcastle and the power had gone off. This could have made matters worse, if it was true.

We did not move from the Pelaw signal until 08:30am, when we moved towards Pelaw sidings. At this point, there was at least four Metros pulled up in the sidings, and by the time we got onto the station itself, there was our train and a South Hylton bound train on the other side of the platform. We eventually got to Heworth at about 08:40am (taking a whopping 50 minutes from Stadium of Light to Heworth - opposed to the timetabled 18) and we were all advised to alight the train. No information was given about a bus replacement service, and people continued to wait at Heworth for another train.

Above the platform, hundreds of customers were trying to find out what they could do to get to their destination. There did not appear to be any Metro staff available to talk to. It was the morning peak for service 27, so buses which were already full had to go straight past Metro passengers who were waiting for a bus to Newcastle. Those waiting on Sunderland Road didn't stand a chance of catching a bus. In addition to the delays caused by the usual morning peak on the 27 service, the Metro passengers and roadworks on Sunderland Road (outside of the old Go North East depot) resulted in delays of up to 40 minutes. As such, a bus replacement service was organised. As most of Riverside's double deckers had been allocated to scholars services, there was very few remaining to be allocated to the dedicated replacement service, which meant that two Olympians and a Vyking were allocated. There was some confusion due to the rush needed to get the buses out, with the driver of the Vyking (an office-based employee at Riverside) serving the Heworth-bound 27 stand. A Nexus employee was rather rude to this driver: she shouted at him for occupying the wrong stand - yet the driver claimed this was the stand he was told to serve. He had to do a loop around Gateshead to get back into the Interchange and onto the already busy Stand C (where the Loops, Coaster and Stagecoach X34 serve).

Thankfully, I was able to get a lift to my destination from Heworth. I didn't miss my job interview. If I had missed it, this post would be far less civil.

(06 Feb 2015, 11:31 am)Tommy_1581 wrote Does the Metro Replacement 900 have to be approved by VOSA before it starts?

What's broken down at Felling? Mainline train or Metro?

It's a Metro, and "emergency" replacement services are not required to be registered. I think if they're planned in advance, then they do?

Further to the above...

Comments from customers on the T&W Metro page on Facebook are quite amusing:
https://www.facebook.com/mymetrotw/posts...0157631223

Teresa Johnson Might want to tell the poor driver of the metro I'm on he's convinced we'll be moving soon.
Like · Reply · 25 · 4 hrs

Jade Louise Moeliker Or if you don't want to inform the driver what's going on just tell him to stop announcing we'll be on the move in a few minutes. His optimism gets annoying after 20 minutes
Like · Reply · 16 · 4 hrs · Edited

Steve Mullen Perhaps you should let the driver stuck outside of Pelaw know, he clearly has no idea.
Like · Reply · 6 ·


Every few minutes from 08:10 onwards, the poor bloke was announcing that we'd be on our way soon and that he'd been in touch with the control room. I was more so concerned about the fact I was stood up, couldn't move, and could barely breathe on a packed Metro which didn't have any open windows and wasn't moving anywhere.

(06 Feb 2015, 11:34 am)Tommy_1581 wrote This "incident" has been going on since 09:00 according to Nexus' Metro page...

Major gearbox fault could be like this a few more hours yet 

(06 Feb 2015, 12:29 pm)Gem63 wrote Major gearbox fault could be like this a few more hours yet 

Trains now running system-wide but subject to delays:


Tyne and Wear Metro
Good afternoon, sorry for the disruption to service today as a result of the failed train at Felling this morning.
The failed train had a seized traction motor, meaning the train could not be moved. Engineers had to jack the failed train up and place a wheel skate underneath the train. In order to do this safely an overhead line isolation was put in place which extended the disruption area to between Gateshead Stadium and Brockley Whins and Jarrow. Once the wheel skate was safely in place the overhead line power was restored. Prior to moving the train, the wheel skate had to be tested. Following the test, the train was moved back to the depot at reduced speed allowing the full service to resume.
It will take some time to get trains back to timetable and we’re sorry for the inconvenience this disruption may have caused you today.
Details of claiming a refund for your delayed journey are available on our website. http://www.nexus.org.uk/metro/guide-metr...et-refunds

Oh dear -

Tyne and Wear Metro

There are minor delays to trains running between Airport and South Hylton due to a train being withdrawn from service. Please leave extra time for your journey.

Tyne and Wear Metro
8 mins ·
There are minor delays to trains running between St James and South Gosforth due to a train being withdrawn from service. Please leave extra time for your journey.

(07 Feb 2015, 7:15 pm)Michael wrote Tyne and Wear Metro
8 mins ·
There are minor delays to trains running between St James and South Gosforth due to a train being withdrawn from service. Please leave extra time for your journey.

Clearly just a repeat from earlier on then?

(07 Feb 2015, 7:17 pm)Tommy_1581 wrote Clearly just a repeat from earlier on then?

Yup, like normal  

Its the same everyday, i'm surprised it still has passengers, the amount of problems it has everyday... getting ridiculous now.  

(07 Feb 2015, 7:21 pm)Michael wrote Yup, like normal  

Its the same everyday, i'm surprised it still has passengers, the amount of problems it has everyday... getting ridiculous now.  

What they need to do is, either buy new vehicles or replace Metro with a busway. 

Metro is becoming old, the modernisation of Metro has gone tits up. I remember seeing some infrastructure being held together with an iPod charger.

(07 Feb 2015, 8:00 pm)Tommy_1581 wrote What they need to do is, either buy new vehicles or replace Metro with a busway. 

Metro is becoming old, the modernisation of Metro has gone tits up. I remember seeing some infrastructure being held together with an iPod charger.

I think regardless of a different way forward, many commuters will ALWAYS favour the Metro over a bus because of how much quicker it.

Granted when I used it between Sunderland and Newcastle, the train wasn't exactly great and the whole thing was packed after we hit Heworth - but it cut off another 30 minutes of a journey I would have otherwise endured on the 56. (I use that as an example, as it runs at the same frequency as the Metro).

I'm sure Dan mentioned when telling us about his private education - that when they all hit Sixth Form, all his friends and other people in his year group wanted to use the Metro or something over the bus...this reason possibly being because the train will always been seen as a nicer form of travel than bus.

I've seen on the Metro's Twitter page previously about complaints in regards to the works and stuff - and outrage regarding replacement buses. The people who use the Metro as their daily commute absolutely hate buses, so it seems.

Perhaps a regular Metro user can expand on this?

(07 Feb 2015, 8:07 pm)MarcTheA4 wrote I think regardless of a different way forward, many commuters will ALWAYS favour the Metro over a bus because of how much quicker it.

Granted when I used it between Sunderland and Newcastle, the train wasn't exactly great and the whole thing was packed after we hit Heworth - but it cut off another 30 minutes of a journey I would have otherwise endured on the 56. (I use that as an example, as it runs at the same frequency as the Metro).

I'm sure Dan mentioned when telling us about his private education - that when they all hit Sixth Form, all his friends and other people in his year group wanted to use the Metro or something over the bus...this reason possibly being because the train will always been seen as a nicer form of travel than bus.

I've seen on the Metro's Twitter page previously about complaints in regards to the works and stuff - and outrage regarding replacement buses. The people who use the Metro as their daily commute absolutely hate buses, so it seems.

Perhaps a regular Metro user can expand on this?

Yeah - there was quite a few people in my school that hadn't actually used a bus prior to this year, though they had used the Metro.

The main reason why the Metro is favoured is due to the shorter journey time it can provide. Clearly, when issues arise, even the 56 between Sunderland and Newcastle ends up being twice as quick as the Metro! Even direct replacement buses don't provide a particularly fast journey time - I seem to remember the X3 service actually providing a quicker journey time than Metro Replacement 900 between Sunderland and Gateshead. Emergency replacement buses are absolutely dreadful to use and this is another reason why commuters are likely to dislike them. The 27 had to drive straight past customers at Heworth yesterday, never mind those on Sunderland Rd. Metros provide such a high capacity for the peaks (when commuters travel) - buses don't.

(07 Feb 2015, 8:16 pm)Dan wrote Yeah - there was quite a few people in my school that hadn't actually used a bus prior to this year, though they had used the Metro.

The main reason why the Metro is favoured is due to the shorter journey time it can provide. Clearly, when issues arise, even the 56 between Sunderland and Newcastle ends up being twice as quick as the Metro! Even direct replacement buses don't provide a particularly fast journey time - I seem to remember the X3 service actually providing a quicker journey time than Metro Replacement 900 between Sunderland and Gateshead. Emergency replacement buses are absolutely dreadful to use and this is another reason why commuters are likely to dislike them. The 27 had to drive straight past customers at Heworth yesterday, never mind those on Sunderland Rd. Metros provide such a high capacity for the peaks (when commuters travel) - buses don't.

Nexus always time the replacement buses so slack you could probably walk the route quicker. Spent 4 weeks driving them last spring and honestly I could have walked to Regent Centre quicker at evening peak! Must be mad wanting to go and do it all again !

(07 Feb 2015, 10:32 pm)tyresmoke wrote Nexus always time the replacement buses so slack you could probably walk the route quicker. Spent 4 weeks driving them last spring and honestly I could have walked to Regent Centre quicker at evening peak! Must be mad wanting to go and do it all again !

You just like driving round the streets of Newcastle - not fancy moving to Jesmond depot?

(07 Feb 2015, 10:34 pm)citaro5284 wrote You just like driving round the streets of Newcastle - not fancy moving to Jesmond depot?

Jesmond is below Scott's standards... nee sparkly services there!

(07 Feb 2015, 10:34 pm)citaro5284 wrote You just like driving round the streets of Newcastle - not fancy moving to Jesmond depot?

Nah I can make do with being loaned out to wherever! Haha. One of our lads has just moved up there mind.