The Tyne and Wear Metro control room is to undergo a £12m programme of modernisation – the biggest upgrade in its 38 year history.
Nexus, the public body which owns and manages Metro, is installing a new computerised signalling control system in the Metro control room in South Gosforth in Newcastle.
The new technology will transform the way that Metro trains are controlled, making operations more efficient and effective.
Managing Director of Nexus, Tobyn Hughes, said: “This £12m project is the biggest overhaul of technology in the Metro control room for almost 40 years.
“The investment brings our signalling control systems into the digital age and it will be of huge benefit to Metro operations.”
The project is being funded as part of the £350m Metro: all change modernisation programme.
Work to install RTMS will take place over a single weekend, with scores of staff on duty to oversee the changes - and it will mean some planned disruption to Metro services.
On Saturday 4 August Metro services will be halted between Benton and St James from 8pm and a replacement bus service will run.
Then on Saturday 4 August Metro services will finish earlier than usual. No trains will run after about 10.30pm depending on the station. Replacement bus services will not be provided as it is not possible to source sufficient buses and drivers at this time of night to provide a viable replacement service across the network.
On Sunday 5 August Metro services will not be operating system-wide until 10am with replacement buses in place for the duration of the morning.
Passenger information display screens (PIDs) across all 60 Metro stations will be affected by the work, and will need manual intervention to bring them back into use. This will be done as quickly as possible after the new system is installed.
Detailed information will be provided at each station and on the Nexus website. Audio announcements and social media updates will be made throughout the system leading up to, and during the disruption.
RTMS will provide the Tyne and Wear Metro with a world-class computerised signalling control system supplied by Derby based innovators Resonate.
The new system will transform the current layout of the Metro Control Room.
Anna Ince, the CEO of Resonate, said: “We are proud to be working with Nexus and helping to deliver their vision for the Tyne and Wear Metro. Our Scalable signalling control system integrates with both the old and new infrastructure as well as trains.”
The iconic Metro control room display board and button system will be replaced by a new Control desk with five 65 inch plasma screens and normal PC keyboard and mouse.