Newly trained Sean praises Metros as 'like driving a Rolls'

MANY of us have had our first journeys on the new Metros as they become an evermore common site on the Tyneside tracks. Journeys are smoother and quieter for passengers, but what's it like behind the controls?

- By DANIEL HALL

Sean Doherty with a new Metro train at South Gosforth Metro Station

Sean Doherty is one of 162 drivers signed off to drive the new Metro trains, with at least another 38 to be trained.

Training takes three weeks and there is an assessment at the end, compared to a railway version of a driving test.

Before taking to the tracks, drivers train in the classroom and on a "state-of-the-art" immersive Metro driving simulator at the Nexus Learning Centre in South Shields - recently seen on Michael Portillo's 200 Years of the Railways.

Sean, who is from Kingston Park, says that driving the new Stadler trains are like driving a Rolls-Royce.

And the 53-year-old is "elated" to be ferrying people around the region.

He said: "It's like going back to school and then there is a driving test at the end of it.

"You feel a real buzz getting in that new train for the first time.

"We have to learn every single button and function, and to ensure competency there are assessments along the way. There is a lot to take in.

"It involves a lot more work than the public get to see."

The driver training programme began in late 2024 and is planned to be complete early next year.