Sunderland metro line partially suspended until January

Services between Park Lane and South Hylton are suspended due to the flood and fire damage

Metro passengers have been warned that part of the Sunderland line will be closed until January after a power station was severely damaged.

Flooding caused a fire at the site between Park Lane and South Hylton which needs to be completely rebuilt.

Trains can still run between Pelaw and Park Lane, but only every 24 minutes instead of the usual 12 minutes.

Metro operator Nexus said it was working with Network Rail to see if the repair time can be shortened.

Engineers have already carried out a full assessment at the electrical substation in Pallion following the damage on 17 November.

Cables to the power supply were so badly damaged they needed to be replaced, Nexus has said.

Stagecoach bus services 8,10,11 and 20 are accepting Metro tickets between Sunderland and South Hylton. 

"The flooding has damaged our substation so significantly that we need to rebuild it before it can safely power Metro services between Park Lane and South Hylton again," said Paul Rutter, from Network Rail.

"We're working with our colleagues at Nexus to find other ways to help people get to where they need to be, but the complex repairs mean that no services are likely to run on this section for the next few weeks."

Network Rail manages the Sunderland line, which has also been subject to industrial action by striking signalling workers in recent months, due to a RMT union dispute over pay and conditions.

John Alexander, Metro operations director, added: "We have been advised by Network Rail that we won't be able to restore Metro services between Park Lane and South Hylton until the new year.

"This is because the flood damage to their electrical substation at Pallion is severe and it needs to be completely rebuilt.

"We still hope to arrange a replacement bus service if we can find operators with the driver capacity to support this.

Passengers have been told to check before they travel and allow extra time for their journey.