Metro disruption will last for the rest of the day after reckless thieves stole 300m of copper cable in the night.
There are currently no trains able to run between St James and North Shields due to the cable theft which happened in the early hours of Friday.
Operator Nexus has confirmed that services in the affected area are likely to be suspended for the rest of the day and a replacement bus service is running.
The theft happened between Byker and Chillingham Road Metro stations, damaging sensitive power supply equipment which is needed for trains to operate.
Nexus is offering a £1,000 reward for information leading to the arrest of the thieves.
Customer services director at Nexus, Huw Lewis, said: “Today’s ongoing Metro service suspension between St James and North Shields was caused by cable theft.
“This offence took place in the early hours of Friday morning, causing major disruption for customers who need to use the Metro service.
“Our engineers are on-site carrying repairs and replacing 300 metres of cable, which is vital so that Metro trains are able to operate.
“I urge anyone with any information to come forward. We are offering a £1,000 reward for information that leads to the thieves being caught.
“Cable theft causes a huge amount of disruption to our customers as it halts Metro services while we carry out repairs. Metro runs on high voltage power so anyone who attempts to cut through trackside cables risks being seriously injured or killed.”
Passengers are asked to use one of 10 replacement buses, the number 900, which are running between the affected stations while repairs are carried out.
