Metro tunnels to undergo £3.4 million track replacement scheme

Nexus, the public body which runs Metro have announced that the Metro tunnels underneath Newcastle’s city centre are set to undergo a £3.4 million track replacement scheme. 

The public transport company will be renewing a key junction located in the tunnel between Monument and Haymarket metro stations.

The crossover, which is located on Prudhoe Street, carries 400 train movements per day, is the busiest junction and is essential for services to run smoothly through Newcastle and Gateshead’s city centre.

The work on the Prudhoe Street Metro junction will completely replace the concrete track bed.

Fresh concrete will be pumped 150 metres down to the site before the new track junction is taken into the tunnels to be fitted in place.

Receive a news round-up, as well as breaking news alerts, when you sign up to NewcastleWorld’s newsletters.

The renewal work will be carried out over a two weekend period to keep line disclosures to a minimum, and to take place ahead of the major restoration work to take place on the Tyne Bridge.

Central, Monument and Haymarket metro stations will be closed, as the metro line is shut between Heworth and South Gosforth.

Buses will replace trains between Heworth and South Gosforth from Saturday, March 16 until Sunday, March 17 and Friday, March 29 and Monday, April 1. 

Customers heading into Newcastle from North Tyneside are advised to end their journey at Manors or St James metro station. 

Stuart Clarke, Metro Infrastructure Director, said: “Metro’s central area tunnels are iconic and are a vital asset for the smooth operation of the network. We are investing £3.4m to replace what is a key junction in our tunnels between Haymarket and Monument.

“This work will see a large section of the track completely replaced. This is the busiest junction on the Metro system, one which carries hundreds of Metro services every single day.

“We’ve completed refurbishment schemes on the Prudhoe Street crossover in recent years, but now we are going in to do a full renewal.

“These works have been meticulously planned. It’s a critical part of the Metro system which will be replaced over two weekend line closures to ensure the least possible amount of disruption to customers.”

Metro’s modernisation programme is Government funded. The junction renewal project is being carried out on behalf of Nexus by Smarttrax Rail.