Evening. Me and a lot of like-minded people have come together and I thought I’d come on here and share a suggestion for TSW: The Tyne and Wear Metro. I feel like a lot of people would enjoy this addition to TSW and a lot of people who I know have been waiting ages for dovetail to add it, and there has been no conversation about it for a while. I’d like to provide some pros and cons regarding the route. Pros: The line is 77KM (48 Miles) with Two Lines, plenty of route choice and Track. The Metro uses PZB safety systems, something which is already in TSW. There is a vast selection of rolling stock varying from the Classic Class 599 ‘MetroCar’, Newly Built Class 555s, The MA60 used for trackwork, and the Battery Locos (BLs) Used to shunt faulty units. Cons: Nexus would most likely to allow you to record sounds. They have a loose policy when it comes to recording sounds and photography/video. There would be a lot to consider, what line to do, which stations to built. The Metrocars have a very different design, something entirely new to TSW. Some more information is included below as to what the network is: The Tyne and Wear Metro is a light rail rapid transit system in North East England, primarily serving Newcastle upon Tyne, Gateshead, South Tyneside, North Tyneside, and Sunderland. It opened in 1980, making it one of the first modern light rail systems in the UK, and is operated by Nexus. The Yellow Line and The Green Line The Tyne and Wear Metro consists of two main lines: Yellow Line Route: St James → North Shields → Whitley Bay → Tynemouth → South Shields (clockwise around the coastal loop), and also St James → Gateshead → Sunderland → South Hylton. Key features: It loops around the north and east of the Tyne and connects through central Newcastle and Gateshead. Green Line Route: Airport → Newcastle → Gateshead → South Hylton. Key features: Connects Newcastle Airport with Sunderland via Newcastle city centre and Gateshead. Both lines share tracks through the central section from South Gosforth to Pelaw. Rolling Stock 1. Class 599 (Metrocars – current legacy stock) Introduced: Late 1970s–early 1980s. Type: Lightweight light rail vehicles. Manufacturer: Metro-Cammell. Number: 89 vehicles originally. Notable: These are aging and being phased out. 2. Stadler Class 555 (New fleet) Ordered: 2019. Entry into service: 2024–2025 (phased rollout). Manufacturer: Stadler Rail. Features: Air-conditioning, Wi-Fi, step-free access, improved reliability and energy efficiency. These will fully replace the Class 599 Metrocars. MA60 and Battery Locomotives MA60 Type: Battery electric locomotive. Built: By Metro-Cammell in 1980 for engineering and shunting work. Use: Non-passenger work including moving disabled trains and track maintenance. Power: Uses onboard batteries as the Metro network does not have third rail or overhead wires in depots. Rarely seen by passengers. Battery Locomotives Used for: Track maintenance, shunting, and emergency rescues. Power: Batteries allow them to operate without drawing from the 1,500 V DC overhead catenary. Typically: They haul engineering trains or assist with rolling stock movements. ️ Interesting Facts The Metro runs on 1,500 V DC overhead wires, unusual in the UK. It reuses former British Rail routes, including some converted from heavy rail. The system includes a grade-separated underground section through central Newcastle and Gateshead. First UK light rail system to integrate old railway alignments with new tunnels and purpose-built stations.
I'd like to see this mainly because I really like PZB. We shouldve used it as our safety system instead of TPWS and AWS.
Good idea but pzb no uk uses well established aws and tpws systems we are not German or French and therefore no use for wholly inappropriate pzb in uk
I was surprised to find out, it’s actually true and now I’m curious to know what it shouts at you as a warning as I’m pretty sure it’s not ‘Zwangsbremsung’ in Tyne and Wear. Not a route that I’m particularly interested in, but it does seem fairly unique for the uk.
No, but considering it's the Tyne and Wear metro, it's probably something as equally hard to understand
Not quite. The original Tyneside electric service ran with a mix of the original LNER 3rd rail units and a small fleet of EPB’s. Just Google Tyneside Electrics. However Newcastle to South Shields went over to DMU’s in 1963, followed by North Tyneside (Tynemouth Loop) in 1967. These were predominantly operated by Class 101 Met Cam DMU’s. The Metro then progressively took over in the 1980’s. The period of DMU operation is the era I would personally like to see. There was a train every 20 minutes around the Tynemouth Loop in both directions. Peak services over the Riverside Loop. Every half hour to South Shields and every half hour to Sunderland with an hourly semi fast to Middlesbrough.
