ALMOST eight weeks after the route was closed following severe flood damage to an electrical substation, Tyne & Wear Metro services between Park Lane and South Hylton on Wearside resumed on January 13.
Train operations were suspended on November 17 after a period of heavy rainfall led to water making contact with equipment at Pallion, causing a fire and rendering it unsafe to use.
Engineers from Network Rail embarked upon a complete rebuild of the substation, which transforms power from the National Grid into a lower voltage current for the Metro’s 1500V DC overhead line equipment. This involved the removal of damaged components, rewiring and testing.
Martin Errington, the infrastructure maintenance engineer who led the work, said: “We have been working alongside industry specialists to restore power quickly and safely, and I am really pleased that passengers can use this section of the Metro line again.”