Nexus drivers put new Stadler trains through their paces

The first group of eight Tyne and Wear Metro drivers from the Metro Futures Traincrew Specialist Team have undertaken familiarisation runs with a Class 555 train at the Velim test track in the Czech Republic. The drivers were accompanied by Stadler engineers on the facility’s smaller 4km (2.5-mile) test ring. 

 

Nexus, the passenger transport authority which owns and manages the Metro, said the test runs mark a significant moment for the GBP362m (EUR407m) project ahead of the first new train arriving in North-East England. Passenger service is due to begin in the autumn. 

 

The Swiss manufacturer is building 46 new five-car trains at its factory in St. Margarethen, Switzerland. The 59.9m units promise up to 30% improvements in energy efficiency – using onboard energy storage and enhanced regenerative braking – greater capacity (up to 600 passengers per train), onboard CCTV, air-conditioning, USB charging points and automatic sliding steps at all eight doors to improve accessibility. 

 

Designed through consultation with Nexus staff, the new drivers’ console features adaptive traction control alongside built-in rail sanding to cope with the toughest autumn and winter conditions. 

 

Craig Pearson, a Traincrew Specialist with ten years’ driving experience, was the first to take the controls of the new Class 555. He commented: “The technology that these new trains offer us are going to be transformative and are a world away from the old fleet. 

 

“Everything is at your fingertips in the new drivers’ cab. The layout is better and the computerised control systems are amazing. It’s a huge jump from analogue to digital technology.”