'Strong possibility' of no metros south of the river

There is a "strong possibility" Tyne and Wear Metro trains will be unable to operate south of the River Tyne while a flyover is closed due to safety concerns.

Trains have not been running through tunnels under the Gateshead A167 flyover since serious concerns were raised about one of its concrete supporting pillars.

Operator Nexus said it was looking at the possibility of carrying out basic repairs on trains but had to be "realistic" if they could not cross the river to the maintenance depot in South Gosforth.

Gateshead Council said it was "working round the clock" to reinforce sections of the closed highway so trains could use the tunnel but this would not happen before the New Year.

Services have not been running between Heworth and Monument since Thursday evening.

Nexus said it was operating on the Sunderland line between Pelaw and South Hylton and Pelaw and South Shields at a reduced frequency and it hoped to maintain this for "as long as possible".

But managing director Cathy Massarella said being unable to maintain trains south of the river would affect their performance.

"We are working closely with our partners at Stadler to see whether we can deliver some basic repairs but this, combined with the colder weather, means there is a strong possibility that we will be unable to sustain Metro services south of the River Tyne for the period of the tunnels being closed," she said.

Nexus infrastructure director Stuart Clarke said the flyover needed to be stabilised before the service could run again and that it would reopen "whatever [Gateshead Council's] decisions might be" about its future.

Mr Clarke told BBC Radio Newcastle one of the solutions Nexus and the council was looking at was to prop up the flyover so services could resume "quickly".

He said he could not give a timescale "just yet".

To cope with the disruption, the following arrangements have been put in place:

• Metro tickets are being accepted on all Go North East buses except X10

• A "limited" bus replacement service 900 is operating between Monument and Heworth

• Following a separate overhead line issue, services between Airport and Kingston Park, in both directions, remain suspended. Metro passes and tickets will be accepted on Stagecoach X77, X78, X47 and Arriva 777

• Nexus has asked customers to plan their journeys in advance and leave extra time for travelling

Customers queuing for replacement buses reacted to the travel problems, with one telling the BBC: "Well it's a bit of a joke.

"I've got a pram and it's easy to get it on the Metro, not so much on a busy bus."

Another passenger said: "It's not been a big deal, I left a bit earlier and I'm used to getting a replacement bus. They've been pretty punctual."

Mr Clarke said: "We're really aware of the significant disruption it's causing but we've got to put safety first.

"We will get through it."

North East Mayor Kim McGuinness confirmed that she, Gateshead MP Mark Ferguson, and council leader Martin Gannon would meet Transport Secretary Heidi Alexander on Monday.

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