By lyndamyer
A contract with the value of $78m (£55m) has been secured by UK-based Buckingham Group Contracting to advance $141m (£100m) track dualling works on the Tyne and Wear Metro.
While the Tyne and Wear Metro owned and managed by Nexus, Buckingham Group acts as the construction contractor for the Metro Flow project’s construction stage, which will be witness for the upgrade and electrification of available freight line in South Tyneside.
December 2022 is the estimated date for completion of the dualling of three main sections between Bede and Pelaw stations. Additionally, this issue will enable movement of another 24,000 Metro passenger journeys on per a day.
Metro Flow has obtained nearly $134m (£95m) in funds from the UK Government’s Transforming Cities Fund.
Nexus chief operating officer Martin Kearney said: “It will involve the conversion of an existing heavy rail line, bringing it into dual-use so that Metros can run alongside freight services, which is similar to the operations we have on the Sunderland line.”
He continued: “This project also gives us the scope to examine future opportunities to expand the network to other areas that are currently not served by Metro.”
Buckingham Group lately finished the work on the new interim Howdon’s Metro depot in North Tyneside.
“The first phase will be detailed design this year and then mobilize for the construction phase early next year,” stated Buckingham Group rail contracts director Rob Harwood.
The next plan of Nexus is to provide four additional new trains using a portion of the financing to increase frequencies.
These extra trains are on top of the 42 new trains, which were acquired by the government in a $511m (£362m) program of investment.
However, 8 of the intended trams, which have been manufactured by CAF for development of this project, have been received by West Midlands Metro and the remaining ones will be received over future months.
