Nexus, the public body which owns and manages Metro, has teamed up with Newcastle University’s Open Lab to give people a say on Metro, including fares, timetables, ticketing options, accessibility, and security. 

This new consultation will generate ideas for improved people-centred services aimed at restoring customer confidence, developing new journey trends, and encouraging more environmentally sustainable travel.

Head of Corporate Planning at Nexus, Helen Mathews, said: “We’re delighted to be doing another major public consultation to shape the future of the Tyne and Wear Metro.

“We want to hear from as many customers as possible. This is a chance for people to have a real say on how we run Metro and how we can make it better as we look to a bright future with a new fleet of trains just around the corner. 

“The consultation will be multi-layered. Customers will be able to provide feedback at stations using interactive technology. There will also be workshops, run by Nexus and Open Lab, where customers can come along and give us their views and ideas. 

“This is vital public consultation work in the post pandemic era, given that journey trends have changed. We need to build back our customer numbers. Metro is an attractive and sustainable mode of travel, but we want to what the people who use service think – and how we can make it better.”  

This new collaboration is a follow up to the major consultation on the new Metro train fleet that was carried out by Nexus and the team at Open Lab.

That consultation, among the most far-reaching ever carried out on a new train fleet, gave people the opportunity to shape the final interior design through a special website, interactive webinars and workshops and online polls.