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Location in Tyne and Wear, England | |
Location | |
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Location | Gosforth, Newcastle upon Tyne England |
Coordinates | 55°00′22″N1°36′30″W / 55.006°N 1.6084°W |
OS grid | NZ251680 |
Characteristics | |
Owner | Tyne and Wear PTE |
Operator | Tyne and Wear Metro |
Type | Light rail |
Rolling stock | |
History | |
Opened | October 1923 |
Original | London and North Eastern Railway |
Post-grouping |
South Gosforth Traction Maintenance Depot is a vehicle cleaning, maintenance and stabling facility used by the Tyne and Wear Metro, located in Gosforth, Newcastle upon Tyne in Tyne and Wear, England.
The 8+1⁄4-mile (13 km) single-track branch line of the Gosforth and Ponteland Railway was opened on 1 March 1905, passing through the depot near to the western terminus at South Gosforth. [1] The branch line closed to passengers on 17 June 1929, with freight services continuing to serve the line until the late 1980s.
The former branch line was reopened as part of the Tyne and Wear Metro network on 10 May 1981, with services operating as far as Bank Foot [lower-alpha 1] . A further extension of the network saw the line extended to Newcastle International Airport on 17 November 1991.
In 1918, a fire broke out at Heaton carriage sheds, which destroyed the building, as well as 34 units. [2] [3] A replacement depot was required, with the Gosforth site acquired by the North Eastern Railway in 1921. The replacement depot opened in October 1923. [4] At the time, there were ten lines in the depot building, with a further two serving the repair shop.
The depot was originally used to house rolling stock for the Tyneside Electrics network, which served Gateshead, Newcastle upon Tyne, North and South Tyneside. Owing to falling passenger numbers during the 1960s, as well as rising costs, and the need to renew life expired infrastructure and rolling stock, the network was de-electrified and converted to diesel multiple unit operation in 1967. [5] Following this, Class 101, 104 and 105 diesel multiple units were a common sight at the depot.
Since 1980, the depot has been operated by the Tyne and Wear Metro. It is used for stabling, cleaning, maintenance and repair of the current fleet of Class 599 Metrocar, as well as an increasing number of Class 555 Metro, which are yet to enter service. [6]
The depot is located in a triangle of land between Longbenton, Regent Centre and South Gosforth, and can be accessed by trains from both east and west. There is also a depot avoiding line running from east to west, which is not regularly used in public service.
In October 2020, prior to the arrival of new rolling stock towards, a satellite depot was near Howdon, North Tyneside. The site is currently being used as a temporary stabling and maintenance facility for up to 10 units. [7] [8] [9]
As part of a £70 million depot refurbishment project, the first phase of demolition of the depot was completed in May 2021, with final closure in January 2023. [10] [11] Construction of the new 12-acre (49,000 m2) depot was completed in January 2024. [12] [13] [14] The new facility provides facilities for preventative and corrective maintenance, overhauls, train presentation, storage space for parts and materials supplies and office space for training and support functions. In addition, there are inspection roads and pits, a separate wheel lathe building, a wash-plant to clean train exteriors, a component drop, monorail cranes on light maintenance roads, an overhead crane on heavy maintenance roads for lifting roof components and a new control room to manage train movements. [14]
The Tyne and Wear Metro is an overground and underground light rail rapid transit system serving Newcastle upon Tyne, Gateshead, North Tyneside, South Tyneside, and the City of Sunderland. It has been described as the "first modern light rail system in the United Kingdom". The system is currently both owned and operated by the Tyne and Wear Passenger Transport Executive (Nexus), thus is fully under public ownership and operation.
Newcastle station is a railway station in Newcastle, Tyne and Wear, England, United Kingdom. It is located on the East Coast Main Line, around 268 miles (432 km) north of London King's Cross. It is the primary national rail station serving Newcastle upon Tyne and is an interchange for local services provided by the Tyne and Wear Metro network whose Central Station is situated beneath the national rail station. It is the busiest station in Tyne & Wear, as well as the busiest in North East England.
The North Tyneside Steam Railway and Stephenson Steam Railway are visitor attractions in North Shields, North East England. The museum and railway workshops share a building on Middle Engine Lane adjacent to the Silverlink Retail Park. The railway is a standard gauge line, running south for 2 miles (3.2 km) from the museum to Percy Main. The railway is operated by the North Tyneside Steam Railway Association (NTSRA). The museum is managed by Tyne and Wear Archives and Museums on behalf of North Tyneside Council.
South Gosforth is a Tyne and Wear Metro station, serving the suburb of Gosforth, Newcastle upon Tyne in Tyne and Wear, England. It joined the network on 11 August 1980, following the opening of the first phase of the network, between Haymarket and Tynemouth via Four Lane Ends.
Percy Main is a Tyne and Wear Metro station, serving the suburb of Percy Main, North Tyneside in Tyne and Wear, England. It joined the network on 14 November 1982, following the opening of the fourth phase of the network, between Tynemouth and St James via Wallsend.
Northumberland Park is a Tyne and Wear Metro and future National Rail station, serving the village of Backworth and suburbs of Northumberland Park and West Allotment, as well as the nearby Cobalt Business Park, North Tyneside in Tyne and Wear, England. The station opened on 11 December 2005.
The Tyneside Electrics were the suburban railways on Tyneside that the North Eastern Railway and the London and North Eastern Railway electrified using the third rail system. The North Tyneside Loop was electrified from 1904 onwards and formed one of the earliest suburban electric networks; the South Tyneside line to South Shields via Pelaw was electrified in March 1938. British Railways converted these lines to diesel operation in the 1960s: the line to South Shields in January 1963 and the North Tyneside lines in June 1967 when the electrical supply infrastructure and the rolling stock had become life expired. In addition, the system was losing passengers and suffering from costly vandalism. Since the late 1970s, much of the system has been converted to form the Tyne and Wear Metro.
The North Tyneside Loop refers to the railway lines in North Tyneside from Newcastle upon Tyne via Wallsend, North Shields, Whitley Bay, Backworth, Benton and South Gosforth back to Newcastle. Since the 1980s, it has formed part of the Tyne and Wear Metro, albeit in modified form.
The Blyth and Tyne Railway was a railway company in Northumberland, England, incorporated by Act of Parliament on 30 June 1852. It was created to unify the various private railways and waggonways built to carry coal from the Northumberland coalfield to Blyth and the River Tyne, which it took control of on 1 January 1853. Over time, the railway expanded its network to reach Morpeth (1857/8), North Seaton (1859), Tynemouth (1860/1), Newcastle upon Tyne (1864), and finally Newbiggin-by-the-Sea (1872). It became part of the much larger North Eastern Railway in 1874.
Jarrow is a Tyne and Wear Metro station, serving the town of Jarrow, South Tyneside in Tyne and Wear, England. It joined the network on 24 March 1984, following the opening of the fifth phase of the network, between Heworth and South Shields.
Manors is a railway station on the East Coast Main Line, which runs between London King's Cross and Edinburgh Waverley. The station serves the Quayside and Shieldfield areas of the city of Newcastle upon Tyne in Tyne and Wear, England. It is owned by Network Rail and managed by Northern Trains. The Metro station of the same name is not directly connected, and located a short walk away.
Jesmond is a Tyne and Wear Metro station, serving the suburb of Jesmond, Newcastle upon Tyne in Tyne and Wear, England. It joined the network on 11 August 1980, following the opening of the first phase of the network, between Haymarket and Tynemouth via Four Lane Ends.
South Shields Interchange is Tyne and Wear Passenger Transport Executive's transport hub in the coastal town of South Shields, South Tyneside in Tyne and Wear, England.
Regent Centre is a Tyne and Wear Metro station in Zone B, serving the suburb of Gosforth, Newcastle upon Tyne. It joined the network on 10 May 1981, following the opening of the second phase of the network, between South Gosforth and Bank Foot.
Central Station is an underground Tyne and Wear Metro station, serving the Grainger Town area of the city of Newcastle upon Tyne in Tyne and Wear, England. It joined the network on 15 November 1981, following the opening of the third phase of the network, between Haymarket and Heworth. The station is named after Newcastle Central railway station, which stands directly above it.
Manors is a Tyne and Wear Metro station, serving the Shieldfield area in Newcastle upon Tyne. It joined the network on 14 November 1982, following the opening of the fourth phase of the network, between Tynemouth and St James via Wallsend. The station is located near to Manors National Rail station, which is on the East Coast Main Line. However, the stations are not directly connected.
Whitley Bay is a Tyne and Wear Metro station, serving the coastal town of Whitley Bay, North Tyneside in Tyne and Wear, England. It joined the network on 11 August 1980, following the opening of the first phase of the network, between Haymarket and Tynemouth via Four Lane Ends.
Tyne and Wear is a metropolitan area covering the cities of Newcastle upon Tyne and Sunderland, as well as North and South Tyneside, Gateshead and Washington.
Howdon Depot is a vehicle cleaning, maintenance and stabling facility used by the Tyne and Wear Metro, in Howdon, North Tyneside in Tyne and Wear, England.
The British Rail Class 555 Metro is a class of electric multiple unit, manufactured by Swiss company Stadler Rail, that will enter into service in 2024 on the Tyne and Wear Metro. It will replace the original Tyne and Wear Metrocar rolling stock, which have been in use since 1980. To facilitate operation of the Class 555, a new Metro Fleet Depot in Gosforth has been built, and 40 of the 60 stations are having platform heights modified. Metro operator Nexus has consulted with both drivers and passengers on the fine details of cab and carriage interior design. Costing a total of £362 million, the first of the 46 units are expected to enter into service in late 2024.