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Tyne & Wear Metro: Fleet Refurbishment List

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7522

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4001 and 4002 out again yesterday and today. Seen on 153 today and 152 yesterday. I hope that tomorrow they will make it out for a full service rather than Just weekday Pelaw services.
 
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ModernRailways

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4001 and 4002 out again yesterday and today. Seen on 153 today and 152 yesterday. I hope that tomorrow they will make it out for a full service rather than Just weekday Pelaw services.

That's if there's a driver available ;)
 

Scott M

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Surely this is just confusing for drivers, passengers and staff alike? Imagine if a passenger gets on with a bike at Pelaw and the driver has to remember to make sure he is off before Gateshead...

Would be better to just make it that bikes are allowed everywhere except for during rush hour?

Edit: don’t want my post to sound too negative as it is definitely a step in the right direction to ease the rules on bikes, and I applaud it. :)
 

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Tetchytyke

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Surely this is just confusing for drivers, passengers and staff alike?

Not really, they're allowed everywhere apart from in the core tunnel. It's how it works on the tube, and for the same reason, which is to do with safety in the tunnels.

It's better than before, where they weren't allowed anywhere on Metro.
 

Scott M

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Not really, they're allowed everywhere apart from in the core tunnel. It's how it works on the tube, and for the same reason, which is to do with safety in the tunnels.

It's better than before, where they weren't allowed anywhere on Metro.

Ah if there is a legitimate health and safety reason behind it then that makes sense. Fair play to them in that case.
 

Paul_10

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Makes you wonder if there is a problem with 4002.

Possibly especially as this unit has not seen much passenger service at all since October 2015(spent 2 years out of service) although it did have a lengthy period in service between October 2017 and July 2018 but until recent observations then 4002 has only been on the system on the RHTT runs during the leaf fall season and possibly any single car testing on the Airport line. There does seem to be a reluctance to pair the prototypes together for any length of time but that could be down to any issues with 4002 than anything else.

Also to note 4018 is now back in service and has been for a few weeks. According to a member on the metro photography facebook page, they are saying 4075 may never return to service, any news why its been out of service for so long?
 

Tetchytyke

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Metro are implementing a new timetable from Sunday 31st, to improve journeys at peak times, can't see much difference though.

They've put the 8.17 Monkseaton-Pelaw back in. Bloody stupid of them to get rid of it in the first place. I'm assuming the preceding Pelaw-Monkseaton was put back in too.
 

jkkne

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Metro are implementing a new timetable from Sunday 31st, to improve journeys at peak times, can't see much difference though.

I’ve had a look and can’t see anything of major interest. Still think St James bound needs more trains (or just restore what they withdrew last year). Still plenty of Regent Centre fresh air runners

Does anyone know if 4002 is out today?

It was out with 4083 on Friday which was unexpected.
 

tynesider

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Noticed this morning that the destination blind for St James now shows "via Whitley Bay" instead of "via the Coast"
 

hacman

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https://www.chroniclelive.co.uk/news/north-east-news/north-east-rallies-behind-hitachis-16024632

Hitachi has submitted its tender for the metro replacement. Interesting that the bid is for 54 trains, which is more than initially planned?

I'm guessing they're looking at the current capacity of the network, timetables, and desired frequency and have felt that 54 will be needed to provide the performance demanded by Nexus. It will be very interesting to see what the other companies suggest, and how many coaches each design incorporates.

Very interesting is the fact that the article says they will be built in the UK, as opposed to the ex-Ansaldo-Breda plant in Italy, seeing as that part of the business has extensive experience with light-rail and metro type projects. That said, it may be like the IEP and other projects, where Newton Aycliffe only do a part of the job.

Either way, I really hope that this sense of "for the North East, built in the North East" is not allowed to cloud the judgement of the tenders - where they come from is irrelevant in the bigger picture.

Have any of the proposals or designs been published or leaked yet? It will be interesting to see if these are a custom design from Hitachi, or simply a modified version of the AB Driverless Metro units (the latter having proven to be VERY reliable and popular with passengers).
 

cosmo

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Noticed this morning that the destination blind for St James now shows "via Whitley Bay" instead of "via the Coast"

Noticed that myself, seems to have been a change to more specific destinations since the new signalling system got put in at South Gosforth, seems "via the Coast" has now indeed been replaced with "via Whitley Bay" on destination boards and LCD displays too.
 

tynesider

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Ultra pedantic, but the train running board number display also appears to be in a different font - The numerals seem to be smaller.

I'm guessing the effort put into this change, and benefit from it, is on par with the Coast / W'tley Bay / Whitley Bay sign alterations!
 

cosmo

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4047 was using the old "via the coast" board on the way into South Shields today, perhaps not all units' board software has been updated to the new text yet?
 

7522

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4018 is in service today. I know this has been out of service for a long time. Paired with 4053 on the coast service. 11:38 Monkseaton - St James.
 

DanNCL

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4018 is in service today. I know this has been out of service for a long time. Paired with 4053 on the coast service. 11:38 Monkseaton - St James.
4045 is also back in service, paired with 4009.
Both units have been back in service for a few weeks now. Good to see the fleet shortage finally starting to improve, though there are still a few long term absentees (4019, 4022, 4040, 4075 just to name a few)
 

jkkne

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Both units have been back in service for a few weeks now. Good to see the fleet shortage finally starting to improve, though there are still a few long term absentees (4019, 4022, 4040, 4075 just to name a few)

If only they had any drivers! Lots of cancellations this weekend on what was already a very limited service.

Though nexus approach to PR seems to be spamming us with updates about a bloody guide horse.
 

Paul_10

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Two seperate incidents involving OHL disrupting the yellow line badly. The one around Palmersville seems to be down to the train pantograph being bent and there was plenty of arcing going on apparently which makes me wonder, would a signal not show up on the drivers cab desk to indicate this?

Hopefully the other incident was not also caused by a dodgy pantograph as that might be a cause for concern especially given what happened around Gateshead not so long ago.

Yet again though, more negativity for the metro. The video of Huw Lewis explaining alternative travel arrangements has a look of a man who seems sick of being a broken record of fronting the media when things go badly wrong.
 

ModernRailways

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The video of Huw Lewis explaining alternative travel arrangements has a look of a man who seems sick of being a broken record of fronting the media when things go badly wrong.

A lot of Metros issues come down to him, Tobyn and Nexus on the whole. The lack of funding and the lack of any support given to Metro is ridiculous.

You can also see a huge difference in the response to issues that arise. When we were under DBTW issues tended to be resolved quickly, and that can be anything from minor issues such as TVM faults to major faults such as we've seen today. Replacement transport tended to be sorted quickly with Taxis laid on until buses could be got (or if no buses, coaches would be used). The lack of any replacement is absolutely shocking and Nexus should truly hang there heads in shame. The entire coastal service is suspended. There is very very limited replacement transport, contingencies should be in place, especially considering the % of failures we are now seeing. But as always Nexus aren't willing to spend the money.

How Tobyn and Huw still have their jobs is beyond me.
 

cosmo

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I've not noticed much more, but they had to leave a load of units out at Pelaw sidings on Saturday night because of engineering work on Sunday. Even with security guards it's not exactly a secure location.

But ASB on Metro is getting worse. It's what happens on DOO services at unstaffed stations when the police don't have resources to deal with it. The hotspots- Tyne Dock, Shiremoor, Meadow Well- are well known but neither Metro nor the police can/will put appropriate staffing in place.

Noticed that 4020 was covered in graffiti today. Is it just me or are Metro units being tagged much more often than they used to be by the graffiti "artists"?

Re. this: 4005 and 4068 have both been tagged, 4068 notably so. Doesn't seem like either they're bothering to clean them or they're not being de-serviced to clean them due to needing them in service.
 

Tetchytyke

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A lot of Metros issues come down to him, Tobyn and Nexus on the whole. The lack of funding and the lack of any support given to Metro is ridiculous.

The issue goes above those two, though both seem incapable of turning things around. Lewis in particular is dire at his job; Metro's reputation is as low as it's ever been. People don't trust the service anymore. I know I don't. I drive into Newcastle for leisure because I have no faith the Metro will be running when it's time to come home. I've abandoned Metro for work, even though the Metro is five minutes from my house and my workplace, because it was so often taking me an hour to get the four miles home.

The issue is Nexus/NECA/whatever you want to call them. They are incapable of any forward planning and that's why there are huge holes in the budget. The issues with the trains were foreseeable 15 years ago when they extended to Sunderland without any new rolling stock; instead of getting stuff ordered, they fannied around with the vapid egotrip that was Project Orpheus. But when Nexus has been run for years by the 10w intellect that is Nick Forbes, the man who's trashed the previously well-run (by the LibDems) Newcastle City Council, and is stuffed with 5w Labour yes-men, it ain't much of a surprise. They even managed to screw up the committee meeting that gave us the annual above-inflation fare rises on Metro and the Tyne Tunnel.

Speaking of fares, the rises being dumped on those of us at the coast are disgraceful. Apparently three-zone seasons were "too cheap", for which read "we think coast passengers are sitting ducks who don't have a choice, so we can screw them for every penny". Well the traffic jams in North Tyneside show people are fed up of being treated like cash cows and have, like me, abandoned Metro.
 
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