A busy section of the Metro line between North Tyneside and Newcastle will close for nine days next month as a £1.7 million programme of bridge and tunnel modernisation work takes place.
Nexus confirmed that buses will replace trains between Wallsend and St James in Newcastle during the last week of the school summer holidays from Saturday, August 24 to Sunday, September 1, while structural repairs are carried out on four different Metro bridges and a section of tunnel in the Manors area. The replacement bus service number 900 will run in both directions in the affected area, calling at or near all Metro stations on the route.
The closure means that along the affected Yellow Line no Metros will be available from St James, Manors, Byker, Chillingham Road or Walkergate stations for the nine consecutive days, while at Wallsend trains will only be available towards the coast, and at Monument trains will only be available to the coast via Jesmond and Gosforth, as well as to the Airport and Sunderland on the Green Line. The line will re-open on Monday, September 2.
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During the closure, trains will be running frequently to other destinations including between Wallsend and South Shields and the Airport to South Hylton in both directions. Metro tickets and passes will be available on the 900 replacement bus service, and you will be able to buy a ticket from the bus driver.
Journey times on the replacement bus will be longer than on the Metro and may be affected by road congestion, with passengers advised to check train and bus times before travelling. You can view the full replacement bus stop timetable and a map of stop locations on the Nexus website.
Works on bridges at Stoddart Street and New Bridge Street - both of which carry traffic over the Metro lines - will include grit blasting, repainting, steel work repair, waterproofing and road resurfacing, as part of the £43 million Nexus is investing in Metro infrastructure modernisation schemes this year.
Stuart Clarke, Metro Infrastructure Director, said: "This nine-day major closure forms part of our ongoing multi-million pound programme of investment in Metro modernisation work.
"The focus of this project is on three bridges which need to undergo vital structural repair works and waterproofing. We will also be working on the entrance of the Metro tunnel near Manors, carrying out structural works."
He added: "While there is no good time to close a large section of the Metro system, the works will improve Metro's resilience in the future. We will do all we can to keep any disturbance to an absolute minimum, and I apologise in advance for the inconvenience this will cause.
"Customers will be provided with frequent replacement bus services throughout this work and need to allow a bit of extra time to make their journey in the area where the line is closed."
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