UK: Transport authority Nexus has begun public consultation on the interior layout of the new trains which Stadler is to supply for the Tyne & Wear Metro, and has unveiled the ‘modern and eye-catching’ yellow livery they will carry when they enter service in 2023-24.
‘We have used the iconic yellow of Metro to give the trains a vibrant, modern feel, accentuated by black and pale grey along the train sides – providing clean delineation of train doors to modern accessibility standards’, explained Customer Services Director Huw Lewis.
‘The colour scheme is built round Metro’s strong brand heritage and refers back to the original PTE Metro livery, while taking the system into the future. It has been refined through feedback from passengers and the technical input of the people who work on Metro – in cleaning, maintenance, marketing and accessibility roles.’
Orders have been placed for 42 trainsets, with another four anticipated to support increased services.
Nexus had planned to use a mock-up cross section of a coach to consult on the interior design, but because of the coronavirus pandemic has decided this is not now possible.
Instead Nexus has worked with Newcastle University’s Open Lab team to develop a virtual reality experience which passenger groups can use in a Covid-secure way. A series of online events will allow passengers to explore a virtual model of the train, and have their say on interior features such as handholds, wheelchair and cycle spaces and information displays.
‘We have made sure our passengers have had a major role in the design of Metro’s new fleet from the start, and that continues today as we ask them what to help with all those crucial little details of the carriage interiors’, said Lewis.
