Tyne and Wear Metro to see £8.8m upgrade to its control room

A £8.8 million project on the Tyne and Wear Metro will improve the day to day operation.

New technology which will control and monitor aspects of the Metro will be done remotely.

Metro’s Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition System (SCADA) will be replaced by new equipment.

The technology will effectively find faults, reducing disruption for Metro customers who will use lift and escalator facilities.

The current SCADA system was installed in the 1990’s and is run from the Metro Control Centre at South Gosforth.

The technology update will take two years to complete and will be the most significant upgrade to the Tyne and Wear Metro control since the computerised signalling system in 2018.

This modernisation is part of a £43 million Nexus investment for 2024 with a total investment of £408m since 2010.

 “This project represents a major investment in new technology for the Metro control room.

“The SCADA system is essential for the safe and effective operation of the Tyne and Wear Metro system. 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 issue more effectively, which will mean less disruption for our customers.

“We’re going to install a completely new system, which brings with it the very latest railway industry technology. It will replace a now life expired system which was fitted in the 1990s.

“It’s a complex project that will take us two years to complete but will mean a big transformation for the power desk in the Metro control room, which will be getting more advanced digital technology. There will also be lots of work at different locations right across the Metro network, including at our electrical substations.

“High voltage power is what makes the Metro run. It’s a vital system for us and one that we are investing in to ensure we have Metro system for many more years to come.”

Jörg de la Motte, CEO of HIMA Group commented: “This is a significant award for the HIMA Group. With our Tracklink SCADA and RTU solution we will support a modern reliable metro network. The HIMA Group are pleased to be a long term partner of Nexus.”

Stuart Clarke, Metro Infrastructure Director