Three possible colour schemes have been revealed that are being considered for the new fleet of £362m Metro trains.
When Swiss firm Stadler was announced as the chosen firm to build the new Tyne and Wear trains last week, concept images showed a gleaming white look for the modern carriages.
However, two further options have been released for the new trains which are expected to be 15 times more reliable than the current stock.
They include a dark grey version with yellow doors, and a yellow and 'warm' grey look more reminiscent of the Metro’s traditional branding.
We gave you, our readers, the chance to vote on which design you would like to see across Tyne and Wear using an online poll.
And there was one clear favourite, with the yellow and grey colour scheme picking up 53% of the vote.
This is followed by the dark grey design which was preferred by 27% of readers, while the white was chosen by just 20% of participants.
Metro operator Nexus says it will gather public opinion on each design in the coming months before deciding itself on which one is the winner.
Neil Blagburn, Metro’s development director, said: “We need to try and retain some identity and some brand in there.
"The Metro identity and brand is really, really strong and we don’t want to lose that with pink and light blue trains, for example.
“You cannot rule out a livery from time to time where we have advertising or special one-offs, but ultimately we need to try and keep the consistent branding. That is our identity.”
He added that it would be “challenging” to keep a clean, but that Nexus has not made up its mind on which colour would be best.
Mr Blagburn said: “You would imagine that, from a maintenance and cleanliness perspective, a darker colour would be better.
“But we are open-minded at this moment in time. We have not got any preconceived ideas about the final design.”
This is what Stadler had to say about each design:
Option A - White
“This proposal is based on the strong yet minimalist design guidelines of Tyne and Wear Metro. The logo, stripped to its bare minimum, celebrates Margaret Calvert’s strong typography.
"The characteristic yellow doors boast the warm corporate yellow. The dot pattern on the doors introduces a bit of playfulness and bridges the black window band on both sides of the door.
“The absolute simplicity applied in this livery is modern, yet timeless. This sleek and fresh proposal is neither noisy nor flashy, but a perfect fit for a light Metro with a strong brand and a proud history.”
Option B - Dark Grey
“This proposal pays homage to the existing Metro carriages in their 2010 livery and takes it to the next level. The main body in dark anthracite provides an ideal canvas for the yellow door areas.
“The slanted shape of this yellow rectangle conveys a sense of movement and challenges the perception of the spectators.
"A white pinstripe encircles the geometrical contours of the window band and the door areas and adds graphical finesse.”
Option C - Yellow and ‘warm’ grey
“This livery proposal boasts the iconic yellow of the Tyne and Wear brand. The bright yellow front is put into focus while the side of the train is divided into a low key three-colour design.
"A slim yellow band continues over the whole length of the composition, bridging the two head sections.
“The warm grey section under the black window band gives the side view a touch of modern elegance, while the white doors are immediately visible.
"The dot pattern on the lower section of the doors ties together all the different elements.”
