Extended Metro closure ends after bridge repairs
NexusThe delayed reopening of a rail line will happen on Tuesday after repairs were completed to a Victorian bridge.
Tyne and Wear Metro services between Tynemouth and Wallsend on the Tyne and Wear Metro were already suspended when an inspection of the bridge in North Shields found it required "immediate and substantial repairs".
The line closure was extended until Thursday but normal services will now resume on Tuesday morning after the repairs were signed off on Monday.
Kevin Storey, operations director at operator Nexus, said: "We are pleased to say this critical repair work has been completed earlier than planned."
The defects in the bridge were identified during a nine-day line closure between Monkseaton and St James for track renewal works, which ended for most of the section on Sunday.
Nexus said the scale of the work meant erecting scaffolding above the track, removing vegetation and repairing the bridge arch.
The 900 rail replacement bus service will continue to run between Tynemouth and Wallsend on Tuesday morning, which Nexus said was to "help with peak travel times".
An investigation is being held into the cause of the bridge damage.
