Passengers fed up with sweaty carriages claim that the Tyne and Wear Metro's new trains are not delivering what they were promised. This week's latest heatwave has brought renewed complaints about the conditions on the new fleet of Stadler Metro units, which have endured problems with their air conditioning since last summer.
Ongoing complaints despite fix
The Swiss-built models struggled to cope with long hours of running in hot weather in 2025, and some had to be taken out of service as water leaked through their air vents due to condensation draining too slowly from their heating, ventilation and air conditioning (HVAC) system. Transport chiefs spent months trying to find a solution to the problem, but now say that the issue has been resolved and the air con is working “as designed”.
However, some Metro users continue to be unimpressed and have reported uncomfortable journeys over recent weeks because of the heat on-board some trains. The prospect of cool, comfortable trips on the Metro was meant to be one of the big advantages of the new fleet thanks to its climate control technology.
Passenger group urges action
The old Metro trains, which have now been retired, had no air con at all and could leave passengers enduring sweltering conditions. But members of the North East Public Transport Users Group say that the new fleet, on which windows cannot be opened, is offering “no comfort” and urged Stadler and Metro operator Nexus to take action.
As temperatures rose above 30C in Newcastle on Thursday, a spokesperson for the passenger group told the Local Democracy Reporting Service: "Whilst the current heatwave is making conditions on board even worse, it has been clear for some time that the air conditioning on the new Metro fleet simply isn't providing the relief passengers were promised. This was meant to be one of the flagship features of trains replacing a fleet over 40 years old, yet passengers tell us they're getting no comfort from it at all — just an uncomfortably warm carriage with no way to escape the heat. Even in cold weather the trains are stuffy, with people boarding in coats and jumpers to find it too hot on board."
"If the new fleet of trains is going to convince people to choose the Metro over the car, passenger comfort can't be an afterthought. We hope that Nexus can find a solution to provide comfortable conditions for passengers soon, whatever the season."
Nexus and Stadler respond
Nexus confirmed on Thursday that 44 of the 46 trains which make up the new fleet have had the fix to the HVAC system applied. 33 of those are in passenger service, with the remainder to be rolled out by the end of the year. Nexus and Stadler said the HVAC system was now “fully operational”, with no water ingress problems this week, but would be monitored to decide if it needed to be adjusted.
The two bodies said in a joint statement: “A solution for the water ingress issue on the heating, ventilation and air conditioning system (HVAC) on the new Metro trains has now been implemented on all units in service. We have been monitoring performance over the summer and will continue to do so as temperatures hit extreme highs through this week to assess whether any other measures are required.
“The climate control system on the new fleet is fully operational and it is moderating the internal saloon temperature as designed, relative to the ambient temperature. We are also monitoring this carefully, separate to the water ingress issue, and will determine if further adjustments to the system are required.”
