06th February 2013
Nexus, which owns, manages and is modernising the Metro system, has donated one of its 30 year-old old Metro ticket machines to Tyne and Wear Musuems to keep for posterity.
The old Metro ticket Metro machines are in the process of being replaced as part of the £385m Metro all change modernisation programme.
Nexus is replacing 225 ticket machines at 60 stations. The new smart ticket machines are capable of accepting credit/debit card payments and bank notes.
Just one of the old Metro ticket machines, which first entered service when the system first opened in 1980, will be handed over to Tyne and Wear Museums to put on public display.
Almost all of the Metro stations now have new ticket machines installed and there are less than ten stations left to get the new technology.
Director General of Nexus, Bernard Garner, said: “The old Metro ticket machines have served the people of the Tyne and Wear well for the last 32 years.
“The time has come to replace them with new technology, but it is also important that one of the old ticket machines is kept for posterity and I’m thrilled to be able to hand one over to Tyne and Wear Museums for public display.”
John Clayson, Keeper of Science and Industry for Tyne and Wear Museums, said: “These ticket machines are now part of the region’s heritage - millions of people have used them to travel for work, shopping and nights out.
“I’m sure the old machine will bring a smile to many people’s faces in future years - we all remember the struggle for change when arriving in a hurry at a Metro Station. The new machines are much more convenient. We can’t display the machine immediately, but we will keep it safely until there is an opportunity to show Metro’s heritage, and meantime it will be seen on tours ‘behind the scenes’.
The old Metro ticket machines were manufactured in France by a company called Crouzet. They print the Metro tickets using a built-in dot matrix style printing system.
The new smart ticket machines have been manufactured in Germany by a company called Scheidt and Bachmann. They boast touch screen technology and can handle smart card payments and can display in seven different languages to assist international visitors.
The remainder of the old Metro ticket machines are to be scrapped.
Source: http://www.nexus.org.uk/news/2013/old-me...-go-museum