Coupled with the arrival of a new fleet, the renewal investment will mean fewer delays, less maintenance, and a more reliable metro for passengers in the English cities of Newcastle, Gateshead, and Sunderland, Furrer+Frey noted.
The five-year contract will upgrade 100 single track kilometers dating from the 1970s and early 1980s. Furrer+Frey will survey and design the overhead system, as well as provide manuals and materials for them. The light rail operator’s own engineers will install the equipment with training from Furrer+Frey.
Furrer+Frey has created a “FL200-light system” for Nexus, adapting a system used in the Swiss mountains to make it lightweight for a metro network and converting it to 1,500-volt DC power.
Renewal works are due to start later this year and will be done to minimize passenger disruption. Furrer+Frey will service the contract out of a new UK headquarters and assembly facility near Nottingham.
Head of renewals at Nexus, Sarah McManus, said, “This contract is a core part of the multi-million-pound investment we are making to renew key parts of metro’s infrastructure and deliver an affordable, reliable railway that’s ready for the next 50 years. This also marks an investment in our staff, developing our skills and expertise to keep maintenance affordable, in-house and in the Northeast.”
Noel Dolphin, head of UK projects at Furrer+Frey added, “We are delighted to be continuing our relationship with Nexus to boost the reliability and resilience of the Tyne and Wear Metro. We’ll be manufacturing Swiss-quality equipment in the UK, tailored to the metro and installed by their skilled team with our training and support.
“We take a low-carbon approach by making the most of existing old structures and renewing the system for another 50 years of service,” Dolphin added.