British Rail Class 555

The British Rail Class 555 Metro is a class of electric multiple units, commissioned and built for the Tyne and Wear Passenger Transport Executive (Nexus) by the Swiss company Stadler Rail, at a total cost of £362 million, for use on the Tyne and Wear Metro. For operation on Network Rail controlled tracks between Pelaw Junction and Sunderland, they are designated on TOPS as the Class 555.

To facilitate operation of the new trains, a new Metro Fleet Depot in Gosforth has been built, and 40 of the 60 stations are having platform heights modified. Nexus has consulted with both drivers and passengers on the fine details of cab and carriage interior design.

On 18 December 2024, the first unit entered passenger service. Eventually the 46 new units will replace the Tyne and Wear Metrocars, which have been in use since the system opened in 1980.

Selection

In 2016, Nexus announced a consultation to determine the views of its customers in the design of its planned new fleet of trains. At the time, the operator had completed a life-extending refurbishment on its existing fleet that was intended to take it up to its planned life-expiry date, which was estimated for the early to mid 2020s. Following this consultation, Nexus began the procurement process to purchase a new fleet of trains, with its initial proposal for a total of 42 units, each of five cars, to replace the 89 existing sets, with an option to order another four units to cope with passenger demand.

In January 2020, Nexus selected Stadler Rail's Metro platform as the basis for its new trains. Two months later, Nexus received funding for an additional four units, taking the total up to 46.

Construction and commissioning

Construction of the first Class 555 units began in 2021, with delivery of the first unit on the Metro network occurring in early 2023 for testing and commissioning. Two units were extensively tested at a test track, based in Velim in the Czech Republic.

In September 2020, Nexus undertook a second public consultation to ask for opinions on how the interior of the new trains should be designed, related to the seating, grab poles and space for bike racks. At the same time, Nexus' drivers were consulted on the design of their cabs using virtual reality software, and in March 2021, took delivery of a physical cab mock-up built by ROBUR Prototyping in Chemnitz, Germany and shipped to the Gosforth Depot. A cab consultation period was carried out between March and April 2021 with over 200 operational staff taking part. Unlike the previous fleet, which had only a half-width driver's cab at each end, with the other half occupied by passenger seating, the new units will have a full-width driving position.

The new trains will be five cars long in fixed formations, with a Jacobs bogie between the inner cars. One centre car will be fitted with a Brecknell Willis pantograph to draw the power from the 1,500 V DC overhead lines. They will also be fitted with regenerative braking technology for greater energy efficiency, and a battery energy storage system that will allow the trains to remain powered and reach the nearest station if the overhead lines fail. This offers the potential to be used on routes that are not fitted with overhead lines that may be added to the network in the future.

The trains will feature specially designed retractable steps at the doors, which are designed to bridge the gap between the train and the platform. They will have an overall capacity of 600 persons, with 104 seats, specially designed easy access areas and have CCTV, a new passenger information system, USB charging points and air conditioning throughout the saloon.

In December 2021, Nexus revealed that the Metro fleet had entered the final assembly phase at Stadler's factory in Switzerland and that the manufacturer is in the process of fitting the main interior components of the first of the new trains. The works include the installation of wheels, seats, equipment cases, piping, wiring, flooring, windows and other internal furnishings.

In February 2023, eight Metro drivers attended initial training on the new units on the 4-kilometre (2.5-mile) Velim test track. The first of the 46 units, costing £362 million, arrived in Tyneside on 28 February 2023, and will undergo compatibility testing across the network before entering into service in the Autumn. Originally due to enter service in 2023, Nexus revised the date to introduce the units to early 2024, and in January 2024 the date was again revised to the end of the year.

Introduction

In May 2023, the first of the new Metro fleet entered the network for the first time for testing. Cathy Massarella, Nexus's major projects director said to the BBC: "[The] train has completed its first test run out on the network and performed really well". The train was pictured at Four Lane Ends during the test service from South Gosforth to Monkseaton in the early hours 10 May.

In March 2024, it was announced that there is no confirmed date for the trains to enter service. However, in May 2024, daytime testing of the new trains began. As the trains were running in between regular passenger services they were equipped with netting across the doors and notices advising customers not to board.

By August 2024, three of the first nine units delivered had completed their daytime testing and the focus was moving to driver training.

The first unit entered revenue service on the Yellow Line on 18 December 2024, initially operating on weekdays only. The first unit entered service on the Green Line two months later, on 18 February 2025.

Design

As part of the Stadler Metro train family, the units are built on the same platform as the Berlin U-Bahn IK stock, Glasgow Subway G3 stock, and future units being developed for the Minsk Metro.

Illustrated Floorplan of Tyne and Wear Metro Fleet

Infrastructure upgrades

To facilitate the delivery of the new fleet, Nexus has commissioned work to replace or modify several aspects of the network. These have included the total demolition and rebuilding of the Metro Fleet Depot in Gosforth, requiring construction of a new temporary depot at Howdon to provide alternative stabling and maintenance facilities whilst Gosforth Depot is rebuilt. Raising or lowering the track at 40 of the network's 60 stations to facilitate use of the new door system is required, costing a total of £2 million. This work was started in October 2020.