The first tracks have been laid at the site of the new temporary Metro train depot in North Tyneside.
Work has been progressing at the former landfill site in Howdon with ballast, rails and sleepers put in place as well as drainage and site access works.
The temporary maintenance facility will help to service some of the current fleet of Metro trains while the main depot in Gosforth is rebuilt between 2020 and 2024.
It will also play a key role in the phased delivery of the new Metro fleet, which is scheduled to begin arriving at the end of 2021.
John Fenwick, director of finance and resources at Nexus, said: “Our new depot site at Howdon is really starting to take shape. New tracks are going in and the work will start on the buildings which will be used while we transition to the new depot in Gosforth.”
The site will be used for the cleaning and preparation of up to ten trains during the redevelopment of the Gosforth depot.
It comes after Nexus secured Government funding of £337m towards the projected £362m cost of designing and building a new train fleet and depot.
This and the ongoing maintenance of the fleet over 35 years makes the total budget about £500m.
