The Tyne and Wear Metro is set to undergo a major £8.8m upgrade to its control room systems, marking one of the most significant modernisation projects undertaken in more than a decade. The work will replace the ageing Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition (SCADA) system—installed in the mid‑1990s—with a fully upgraded digital solution designed to improve day‑to‑day operations and reduce customer disruption.
The new technology will modernise the way Nexus manages essential Metro assets, including power supplies, lighting, lifts, escalators, fire and intruder alarms, and tunnel drainage pumps. With the current SCADA system nearing end‑of‑life, the digital upgrade aims to speed up and enhance fault detection across the network.
Importantly, the existing system will remain active throughout the transition, ensuring the Metro is never without backup power or operational resilience. Nexus has confirmed that regular services will be unaffected except for a small number of planned early‑morning and late‑evening system‑wide closures.
To minimise disruption, these closures have been scheduled around bank holidays and lower‑demand travel periods:
Planned System‑Wide Closures
- Easter Monday – Monday 6 April: 5am to 10am
- Sunday 3 May: From 8.30pm (no trains Pelaw–South Hylton all day)
- Early May Bank Holiday – Monday 4 May: Until 10.30am (no trains Pelaw–South Hylton all day)
Replacement buses will operate during these times, and customers are encouraged to plan ahead and allow extra journey time.
Stuart Clarke, Infrastructure Director at Nexus, emphasised the strategic importance of the upgrade, saying:
“This project is a major investment in new technology for our Metro control room at South Gosforth and is vital for Metro’s long-term future.
“It is a project which has been meticulously planned over the last two years to ensure the least possible amount of disruption to our customers. However, some late and early closures will be required so that we can switch across to the new digital equipment.
“The SCADA system is essential for the safe and effective operation of Metro. It enables us to remotely manage the high and low voltage power supplies and other key things like lighting, lifts, escalators and fire alarms.
“The new system will allow us to resolve infrastructure issues more effectively, which will mean less disruption for our customers.
“Where services are impacted, customers will be provided with replacement buses and I apologise in advance for the disruption. Customers are advised to be aware of the closure dates and allow plenty of extra time for their journeys.”
The upgrade is being delivered by Sella Controls, working closely with Nexus teams to ensure efficiency and minimise disruption to the public. This marks the most significant enhancement to the Metro control room since a £12m computerised signalling control system was installed in 2018. The new solution leverages advanced SCADA and Remote Terminal Unit (RTU) products already in use across the UK mainline rail network.
Image credits: Nexus
