North Tyneside bridge repair completes to allow full service from Tuesday 3 November

Metro services between Wallsend and Tynemouth will return to regular timetable on Tuesday 3 November, following the early completion of an urgent bridge repair.

Trains in the area had been suspended on Monday 2 November to allow teams to safely complete restoration work which began last week.

The bridge in North Shields had been inspected as part of the wider planned line closure between St James and Monkseaton, which finished at the end of the weekend.

Services were initially due to resume on Thursday this week. However, thanks to the hard work of several teams over the past several days, the full service can now return earlier than planned.

Customers travelling from the coast to Newcastle city centre on Monday are advised to travel on Metro via Benton.

Metro services on the Yellow line will operate to normal frequency between South Shields and Tynemouth via Whitley Bay, though there may be changes to the times of some journeys. Services will operate between St James and Wallsend every 20 minutes, until the end of service on Monday night.

To help with peak travel times, the bus replacement will stay in place for Tuesday morning, between Tynemouth and Wallsend.

Kevin Storey, Operations Director at Nexus, said: “We are pleased to say this critical repair work has been completed earlier than planned. This was a complex repair and we allowed ourselves enough time if any unknown issues occurred.

“The issue with the bridge’s stonework was identified during a planned inspection which took place last week. The scale of the work meant we needed to erect scaffolding above the track, remove vegetation which was on the bridge and repair and rebuild the bridge arch brick by brick.

“When working on the Metro line, we turn the power off in sections so our teams can work as safely as possible. Safety is always our top priority. We are investigating what may have caused the recent damage.

“We are sorry for the inconvenience this caused to our customers on Monday. Customers can stay updated through our Pop App and X page (formerly Twitter) on @My_Metro, as well as via www.travelnortheast.uk. Travel advice is also shared by platform announcements, display screens and using station Help Points.”