'Transparency' promise from Mayor on Metro

THE Tyne and Wear Metro will be subjected to more public accountability, the North East mayor has promised.

- By DANIEL HOLLAND

Transport chiefs faced calls from passenger groups last month to be “much more open” about issues facing the rail network.

The Metro has long faced struggles with the reliability of its ageing fleet of trains, which have been running since 1980 and are well beyond their expected lifespan, and other infrastructure.

Metro users have also been left frustrated over recent months by problems afflicting the new, Swiss-built models being introduced to replace the old fleet, including leaking ventilation systems and an incident in which a train’s doors opened on the wrong side.

North East mayor Kim McGuinness told councillors on Tuesday that she was “leaning really hard” on officials at operator Nexus to improve the service, having previously demanded that it becomes “world class” by 2028, and pledged to increase transparency.