Overview
- The £70,000 upgrade installs 40 new cameras at stations including Hadrian Road, Meadowell, Shiremoor, Howdon and South Gosforth, with further work at Monument, Cullercoats and Monkseaton.
- The rollout delivers clearer footage to support police, deter anti-social behaviour and reassure passengers, complementing frontline staff and policing operations.
- The cameras build on a 2021 investment of £4.2m for 740 station cameras and sit within the long-term Metro Asset Renewal Programme backed by the Department for Transport.
- Nexus reports service improvements from the new £362m Stadler fleet, with 34 of 46 trains delivered, reliability up from 91% to 95% and punctuality above 80% despite early faults including a door incident and air-conditioning issues.
- Leaders cite a structural budget gap of over £5m and a Plan for Growth to raise fare and non-fare income, with final 2026 fare proposals to be published before consideration by the North East Combined Authority; recent weekend thinning was linked to driver sickness and is expected to ease with ongoing training.