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The bridge wasn't listed at the time, indeed, a number of identical examples were removed, some being relocated, some being destroyed. That I can remember, Walkergate, Wallsend and Percy Main had them, and I think there was at least one on the Riverside branch. I can't speak to it's status now...

Exactly - for this reason, it's not happening in any of our lifetimes. The time to do it would have been when the station was rebuilt before opening. I have to admit I always thought it odd that they didn't rebuild it as an island platform with the control centre over the top, but I suppose it...

There is no official announcement yet, but the plan was always stated as being a baseline 10-minute frequency across the entire network (5 minutes in the core), with some sort of strengthening during the daytime to make 5 minutes (2.5 in the core). It has yet to be confirmed if these extra...

The checkerplate is a temporary fix, and it's good to see some proactivity for a change. That said, even if this were made permanent by tidying up the edges for a smoother transition to the regular flooring, it wouldn't be the worst thing in the world. The only downside is checkerplate is a...

I suspect wider sets of 3 seats could have been fitted, and the space gained by having slightly less of an inset on each side of the doors. I know the reason for the inset space, but it is quite large. Bays of 3 are not inherently an issue - the blocks of 3 sideways seats on the current stock...

To be honest, I think it was more about "sh*t, we've screwed up and people are not happy about the loss of seats despite our magical consultation, quick bolt some folding seats into place and throw them a bone". Specifically on the subject of conflicting uses of the areas, this is just evidence...

This again comes down to the consultation too - as the respondents would have likely used the sets of 3 sideways seats on the current stock as a reference! The tip-up seating was added in response to the backlash about the reduction in seat numbers - they were not part of the original design...

The uptake in people using bikes has been noticeable since the ban was lifted, to be honest, and I'm all for it. It opens up more potential customers, and when a cyclist doesn't require the space, it can be used for luggage or strollers - the old trains had woefully inadequate provision in all...

Whilst this is true, the narrower seats seem not to be fully occupied as a direct result, so the number of available/usable seats has effectively still dropped. I'd wager the folks who voted for the chosen seating layout may regret their decision now.

To be honest, Metro's current signalling system doesn't really need more than simple SPAD protection. The overwhelming majority of signals are twin aspect (danger/clear), with ambers most commonly found only on distant/repeaters where sighting may be poor. The PTE had originally wanted the...

Technically it's not PZB on Metro as PZB is a suite of systems and functions that incorporates Indusi. Indusi, which is what Metro has, uses the induction magnets to communicate the status of a signal and other data when a train passes over the magnet, though in Metro's implementation the range...

Certainly, something ETCS-compatible would make sense; especially with the shared section between Pelaw and Jarrow now being a consideration. Hopefully the proposed solution uses in-cab signalling, and has moving block and CBTC for at least the core of the network, perhaps extending a little...

We absolutely do need to be hardening our infrastructure for climate change - Metro, rail and overall. The issue is who funds it. It's pretty much accepted among all but the most fervent climate change/science deniers that what we're going to see is more common occurrences of weather extremes...

Not to mention everything here has to then also be tensioned and calibrated for the opposite, where with windchill temperatures well below 0 are very common! This is the issue a lot of people don't realise - Spanish and similar rail networks can withstand heat, as they're set up for it, but...

This is the reason for the change - the number of people who actually travel across Newcastle to any station that isn't Sunderland or Metrocentre is very small, and having trains run through has long been a cause of knock-on delays. The connection timing needs to be tightened up, but hopefully...

It has been (for the region at least) rather warm lately, and then the last few days the wind has been very high, especially up here at Palmersville/Northumberland Park - a perfect combination for OHLE issues really!

Yea - it's the usual snagging stuff, some of which occurs in transit. Ultimately, until the train actually does a load of distance on the rails, you don't find out if there is the odd minor thing here and there that needs slightly tightening up or re-aligning, etc. Stadler (like others) do...

The condensate from HVAC systems on trains just dumps out onto the track, as it's just water. This hasn't been an issue up to now, as the weather was cool enough that any condensate just evaporated naturally. The likely cause will be a plug not removed or a pipe not connected during the...

I've used Lumo a good few times, and found it to be pretty great to be honest. Yes, it's not as fancy as LNER in some respects, but the staff have always been lovely, and the service has done what it needed to - a relatively comfortable and reasonably priced trip to/from the capital. The only...

From a business case perspective, the Leamside is never getting electrified purely as a diversionary route, especially with the amount of bi-mode units kicking around on LNER services. To make it viable from any other perspective, you'd also need there to be a sudden increase in electrification...