“Urgent” repairs are being carried out to deal with a problem on some Tyne and Wear Metro trains which caused major disruption to services on Monday.
Commuters faced delays of up to 36 minutes while waiting for a Metro train during the morning rush hour after a fault was discovered on some carriages. Passengers have been warned against travel during peak hours and are still being advised to allow extra time for their journeys with uncertainty over how many trains have been affected or how long it will take for full services to resume.
Stadler, the Swiss firm responsible for maintaining the metro’s trains and building the network’s delayed new fleet, discovered a problem with a faulty batch of carbon tape – an essential part of pantographs, the device that connects each train to overhead power lines. . Metro operator Nexus said “quick measures” had been taken to ensure there was no worse travel chaos, with fears the problem could have led to the downed catenary.
At least seven Metro trains are known to have the faulty parts fitted, with Stadler still inspecting the rest of the fleet. As of Monday afternoon, only 20 trains were running, eight fewer than the number needed to run the entire subway schedule. It is expected to rise to 23 by Tuesday morning, although Nexus was unable to say how quickly the issue might be fully resolved.
This is just the latest problem in a reliability crisis that has gripped Metro as bosses wait for the new fleet to finally enter service. Stadler was given a formal warning last year and the timetable had to be cut due to an increasing number of broken down trains, while the rail service fell to its worst ever performance level with just 61% of trains arriving on time in the four weeks to 9 December 2023.
The existing metro fleet has been in service since the network opened in 1980 and is well past its 30-year lifespan, making it increasingly unreliable and difficult to find replacement parts as they are now obsolete. The new £262 million fleet was due to enter passenger service in the summer of 2023 but has suffered several delays and the first train is now expected to be in service by the end of 2024.
Kevin Storey, Metro’s chief operating officer, said: “Stadler is working to rapidly resolve the Metro fleet availability issue, which is impacting our ability to provide a full service to our customers. This was caused by a faulty series of carbon belts, a vital part of pantographs that are used to propel metro trains from catenary lines.
“We have taken quick steps to better understand and address this and prevent a more serious disruption to services. Every metro train goes through a pantograph inspection to ensure they are not faulty. This is vital as a damaged carbon strip could trip the catenary wires.
“Trains will be busier than usual. Customers are advised to allow extra time and avoid peak travel if possible. We apologize for the inconvenience this is causing customers. We are working with our colleagues at Stadler to fix the problem as quickly as possible.”
Nexus confirmed that Stadler is meeting with the carbon tape supplier to understand the fault and in the meantime has retrofitted the affected trains with an older batch of components to get them back into service. Paul Patrick, managing director of Stadler Rail Service UK, said: “Stadler is working closely with Nexus to resolve the pantograph fault that has been identified on some trains. The problem is with carbon belts, a basic element on pantographs.
“In the interest of safety, some trains could not run this morning [Monday], as a comprehensive program of testing and investigation was launched with the aim of eliminating the fault and getting the trains back into service as quickly as possible. We are working on this rapidly in cooperation with Nexus and the supplier of these components. Pantographs on all Tyne and Wear Metro trains are being inspected and a senior engineer from Stadler Rail Service UK and our supplier has been deployed to focus on the issue. Our supplier carries out its own carbon tape testing at its premises.
“We are making good progress and have already brought trains back into the network. Together with Nexus and our supplier, we will work continuously and tirelessly to ensure that the carbon strips across the fleet work well and that a good level of passenger service can be restored.”