Tyne and Wear Metro passengers faced heavy delays during Tuesday morning's rush hour after cold weather affected overhead power lines at the Gosforth depot, with an investigation now underway.
The disruption on November 10 was initially blamed on a failed train at the Metro depot, which delayed other services from leaving, while passengers at some platforms were told there had been several failed carriages. However, it has now emerged that cold temperatures were the underlying cause.
Cold Weather Impact on Power Lines
Metro operator Nexus and train manufacturer Stadler told the Chronicle that it is believed that Tuesday morning's cold temperatures impacted the overhead power lines at the depot. Because of the lack of power, trains had to be taken out of the depot using their backup on-batteries – a feature of the modern Stadler fleet that has now been fully rolled out into service.
Nexus and Stadler said in a joint statement: "An issue occurred first thing on Tuesday morning, 10 November, that meant trains were unable to leave the Gosforth Depot on time and enter operation for the start of service. We're working together to investigate the exact cause and determine next steps."
Backup Battery Technology Used
The statement continued: "Early indications suggest cold temperatures affected the overhead power lines and the power supply to trains. A feature and benefit of our new fleet meant that we could operate the trains out of the depot using back-up battery technology, before reconnecting with the overhead lines that weren't impacted."
Trains began to leave the depot from 6am, and a full service was restored before 8am. The operators said: "We understand how frustrating this early disruption was and thank customers for their patience."
