'I've fixed Metro ticket machines for 40 years - they are like my children'

Alex Carr is retiring after spending 40 years repairing ticket machines on the Tyne and Wear Metro

A man who has spent 40 years repairing Metro ticket machines says they are "like my children" because he knows "all their quirks".

Alex Carr, 60, of Dipton, in County Durham, is retiring after spending the past four decades working on the Tyne and Wear Metro.

He has managed 225 machines across 60 stations, aiming to keep them and the gate lines in top condition.

Operator Nexus said Mr Carr had given outstanding long service and had contributed to the success of system.

Mr Carr said he was "proud" to have looked after the machines for so many years and without them, "you don't really have a railway".

"I know these ticket machines so well, they're like my children. I've become fond of them, I know all their little quirks," he said.

"Forty years is a long time to focus just on ticket machines, but I've loved it.

"You know that you're playing such an important role, not only safeguarding vital ticket revenue but ensuring customers aren't inconvenienced."

Nexus is currently rolling out its new fleet of Metros to replace its existing ageing stock

Mr Carr joined in 1985 as an apprentice electrician and started work on the Metro service when the system was new after transferring from the Northern bus company.

Over the years, he has managed the first generation of analogue ticket machines before playing a role in the transition to digital, along with automatic ticket gates.

'Swapping screwdriver for laptop'

He said when he began his career ticket machines were made in France, were "electro-mechanical and only accepted coins".

But over the years he has swapped a screwdriver for a laptop for his repair works.

"After the new generation of machines came in, it became much more software based, so you often fix them with a laptop instead of with a screwdriver," he explained.

He said working through lockdown and ensuring machines were ready for new bank notes with King Charles III on were a "challenge" but "he has had a great team".

Mr Carr will retire from his role on 1 December.

John Fenwick, director of finance and resources at Nexus, said: "Alex's knowledge of our ticket machines is second to none and he will be a big miss.

"He's been a great servant to Nexus and we wish him well for the future."