Tyne and Wear Metro line closure set for five-day renewal works

A Tyne and Wear Metro line closure next month will allow essential renewal work on a key section serving North Tyneside and Newcastle, as outlined by Nexus.

This is reported by the railway transport news portal Railway Supply.

The five-day major line closure will run between Shiremoor and St James in both directions from Monday 16 February to Friday 20 February, with services set to resume on Saturday 21 February.

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Service changes during the Shiremoor to St James Metro closure

While the line is shut, yellow line trains will continue to run from Shiremoor towards South Shields via South Gosforth, calling at all stations along the route. Nexus said the green line is planned to be unaffected by the closure, and the same service plan is also summarised by Railway-News.

To support passengers during the disruption, a replacement bus service will operate throughout the works, calling either at or close to all affected Metro stations.

Metro Asset Renewal Programme: track and overhead lines renewal

The closure sits within the Metro Asset Renewal Programme, which aims to modernise key areas of Metro infrastructure, including tracks and overhead lines. During the five-day window, teams will install 950 metres of new track between Chillingham Road and Walkergate and replace more than 1,000 sleepers across the closure.

Engineers may also use the access period for additional tasks such as cable testing, lineside estate management, platform repairs and essential structural inspections.

Nexus investment in Metro infrastructure

Paul Welford, Major Projects Director at Nexus, said the organisation is investing in new track and other key infrastructure so the Metro can continue to reliably serve North Tyneside and Newcastle for many years. He noted that closing part of the network is disruptive, but said the timing has been chosen to minimise the impact on customers by taking school holidays into account.

Welford added that scheduling the works during the Spring half-term should avoid affecting busy school commutes, and that less congestion on the roads should speed up alternative travel times. He also said the project can only be carried out safely during a five-day closure so engineers can have extended access to the line — an approach also discussed by Railway Supply.

Over the last 15 years, Nexus said almost £1 billion has been invested in upgrades across the Tyne and Wear Metro, including the procurement of new train fleets and work to remove single-track operations in South Tyneside. The investment has also covered projects to replace expired assets and equipment, ranging from new track and overhead line to structural repairs and bridges.

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