Metro's 'unreliable' trains keep Gosforth neighbours awake

Nexus said its current rolling stock was the worst of its type in the country

Neighbours of a Metro depot are being kept awake at night by the sound of ageing trains which cannot be turned off over fears they will not restart.

They are being left running close to homes in Cheswick Drive in Gosforth, Newcastle.

Tyne and Wear Metro operator Nexus admitted its current rolling stock was the "worst of its type" in the country.

New trains are due in 2023. In the meantime, trains close to the homes will be switched off, Nexus said.

The depot at Gosforth is undergoing a £70m upgrade and in recent weeks the trains have been moved on to sidings closer to the neighbouring houses, sparking complaints, the Local Democracy Reporting Service said.

Trains at the Gosforth depot are being stored on sidings neighbouring Cheswick Drive

Pauline Allen, who represents the Parklands ward on Newcastle City Council, said: "We have people here who are elderly, who have health problems, or who just need to get up in the morning to go to work.

"Living next to a Metro depot means there is always going to be a bit of noise, but now having it through the night as well is an added problem for people."

Stadler, which is building the new Metro fleet and runs the depot, confirmed that it has now agreed to turn trains off overnight next to the houses and said it was "seeking to mitigate" the risk of malfunctions.

The new Metro stock is due to arrive in 2023

Nexus said leaving the trains on overnight had been deemed necessary for years, particularly in colder weather, to prevent the air system from freezing and to avoid battery issues.

A spokesman said: "The current Metro rolling stock, which is more than 40 years old, put simply is the worst performing fleet of its type in the UK and this presents us with constant maintenance challenges. This is precisely the reason we are investing in a new fleet.

"Over the last decade we have been forced to keep our trains energised overnight in order to reduce the risk of vital systems failing to restart which in turn causes early morning failures and disruption to services. This is particularly prevalent during cold weather."

The new fleet will be "15 times more reliable" than the current stock, the spokesman added.