A strange experience on the metro!

[valenta]

Good evening

I was travelling on the Tyne and Wear Metro recently, a very pleasurable experience, usually. However, when I tried to alight, the doors did not open, nor the button light up to allow the doors to open. This was presumably because the driver had forgot or there had been a fault within the train. So me and five or so other irate passengers were driven to the next station!
We got off at the next stop and lined up to complain to the driver at his cabin, I was not best pleased myself, as I had a rather urgent work meeting to attend. The driver said there was nothing he could do, and I was left none the wiser to what the cause of the missed stop was!

So what are your views?

 

[sprinterguy]

Was it 4001 perchance? I’m informed that one set of doors on "number 1" are now pretty much permanently out of use, and the push buttons on the two prototype Metrocars that do work often take quite a bit of cajoling into life to get the doors to work compared to the rest of the fleet. Poor thing, it’s getting to be quite long in the tooth now. I hope that this issue will be addressed when they go for refurb, even if it does remove some of the character from these units.

 

[valenta]

Was it 4001 perchance? I’m informed that one set of doors on "number 1" are now pretty much permanently out of use, and the push buttons on the two prototype Metrocars that do work often take quite a bit of cajoling into life to get the doors to work compared to the rest of the fleet. Poor thing, it’s getting to be quite long in the tooth now. I hope that this issue will be addressed when they go for refurb, even if it does remove some of the character from these units.

Nope, it was 4001 or 4002. But on the point of the prototypes, I was on 4001 yesterday and one of the set of doors, pretty much needed to be pushed to get them open, and it took about an extra 30 seconds for them to close. I personally hope that the prototypes do not get refurbished, however, yes, new sets of doors wouldn't go a miss.
A video of the prototype doors: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QSi7LDWUW-I though they were worse than that the last time I saw them!

 

[CNX]

What else do you expect from Mickey Mouse trains on a Mickey Mouse railway?

 

[12CSVT]

Do they not put 'door out of use' stickers on them in those circumstances like the main line operators do ?

 

[valenta]

What else do you expect from Mickey Mouse trains on a Mickey Mouse railway?

Well, it isn't a mickey mouse railway, it is a vital part of Tyne and Wear, and it would be hurrendous both to the regions economy and the people who live in the region if it was ever to go. This incident was a one off.

@12csvt I don't think that the doors were faulty, they had worked fine before this stop. Yes, if doors are out of use, they will put stickers on telling you so.

 

[notadriver]

Why can't they just get some Tram like trains for that line?

 

[HugePilchard]

Not sure I see the point of introducing tram-like units on the Metro in its current incarnation. I believe part of the original plan for the system was to have street-level running, but that never came to pass, and the trains run completely separately from road traffic.

 

[Real Ale Rider]

Mmmm Metro, The Tyne and Wear goes electro!

See what I'm going on about by clicking on the link below.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V80Isj9JK1s&playnext=1&list=PLD24E31CA0FE1B7BE

 

[valenta]

Mmmm Metro, The Tyne and Wear goes electro!

See what I'm going on about by clicking on the link below.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V80Isj9JK1s&playnext=1&list=PLD24E31CA0FE1B7BE

Yes, it's safe to say that I wasn't one of the musicals' fans!

 

[HST Power]

What else do you expect from Mickey Mouse trains on a Mickey Mouse railway?

The T&W Metro is far from a 'Mickey Mouse' railway. It's very widely used, the trains are incredibly punctual, the rolling stock is good quality and it has the highest level of passenger income per year (£40 million in 2009/2010) than any other light rail system outside London.

I've never been delayed on a Metro service, I've never been halted due to a fault, I've never expierenced drunks and chavs spewing up all over the seats and plastering their gum on the windows (this is the standard you can expect on FCC) and I've never had one single complaint about the standard, the travel or the quality of service.

I often wish that I was still using the Metro. Due to my working commitments in London, my daily travel resides on a 365 Networker running non-stop to Kings Cross.