(11 Mar 2020, 5:54 pm)Michael wrote The Government has today agreed to fund a £100m scheme to increase service frequency, reduce journey times, and improve reliability on the Tyne and Wear Metro.
The Metro Flow project will see an existing freight line upgraded and electrified in South Tyneside from September 2022, making it capable of carrying Metro services, boosting the capacity for an extra 30,000 passenger journeys every day.
Three sections of single track on the Metro network totalling three kilometres will be dualled between Pelaw and Bede Metro stations #Budget2020
Not mentioned at the time, but included in the article about the 40th anniversary of the open of the network in this month's issue of 'Today's Railways UK' is that, as part of the Metro Flow project, Nexus have already taken up an option for a total of 4 additional new Stadler Sets, taking the total now on order to 46.
It also confirms the plans for the dualling of the single track sections of the South Shields will utilise the Freight Line alongside these single sections rather than be completely new sections of track. It also states the plan is for both lines to operate a daytime frequency of every 10 minutes once the work is completed, and allow some of the current peak-hour Pelaw terimatiors to be extended to South Shields.