Metro closure begins as five-day power works start

Metro services in the affected area will restart on 9 August

A busy section of a Tyne and Wear Metro line has closed to allow work on overhead power line to be carried out.

The line through South Tyneside will be closed until Friday, with no Metro trains running between Hebburn and South Shields.

Works involve the installation of a 1,600m (5,249ft) cable wire and catenary, which operator Nexus says is "vital for the operation of the Metro system".

The affected route will reopen to Metro services on Saturday.

The works are part of the modernisation of key items of Metro infrastructure, including tracks and overhead lines.

They are taking place in the area between Bede and Tyne Dock.

Buses (the number 900) will replace trains during the closure from South Shields Transport Interchange to Hebburn Metro station, calling at or near all Metro stations on the route.

Those using the route have been told to connect with Metro services from platform one at Hebburn Metro station or from Heworth for onward journeys towards Newcastle and Sunderland.

Nexus's Paul Welford said: "There is no good time to close a section of line, but our plans consider school holidays, least disruption to customers and the most efficient works.

"This project ensures that a vital section of the Metro system is future proofed and reliable for the long term."