Royal Metro enters retirement in style
Museum makes room for Queen’s Metro carriage. Tony Henderson reports
The Metro train on which Queen Elizabeth travelled when she officially opened the system in 1981 has been donated to a North East museum.
Carriage 4020 has been given to the North East Land Sea and Air Museum (NELSAM) at Washington, where it will go on public display.
Metro operator Nexus said it was delighted to have found a home for the train, fulfilling its pledge that two would be retained for heritage purposes as the old fleet is phased out.
The Queen travelled on the train from Monument to Gateshead when she visited the region to officially declare the Metro system open.
King Charles also travelled on the same carriage in November 2021 when he visited Newcastle, as Prince of Wales, to mark Metro’s 40th anniversary.
Metro’s last remaining old trains completed their final runs in customer service on June 26.
Cathy Massarella, managing director of Nexus, said: “We’re delighted to have donated this old Metro train to the North East Land Sea and Air Museum.
“It was used for the Queen’s visit in 1981, a huge moment in Metro’s history, when she travelled on board it and then opened the system at a ceremony at Gateshead Interchange.
“The same carriage was also used during another Royal visit in 2021, when Prince Charles travelled on board from Central to Haymarket to mark our 40th anniversary year.
“We’re over the moon that a museum has been able to take this train and put it on display for the public. It is part of the region’s proud railway heritage. We have achieved our commitment to keep two original trains for heritage purposes, meaning they can still be seen by the public.”
Metro’s first ever train, carriage 4001, has been donated to the Stephenson Steam Railway in North Tyneside in 2025. It was the first prototype Metro carriage that was delivered to the Metro test track in 1975, five years ahead of the system opening.
David Charles, chair of trustees for the North East Land Sea and Air Museum, said: “The arrival of the Metro unit at the museum marks the completion of the transition from an aircraft museum to a transport museum.
“The Royal Metro is a nationally significant rail item and cements the importance of the museum as a regional heritage location. The delivery marks the end of a journey that started three years ago to add this significant item to the collection.
“The trustees are honoured to be chosen by Nexus and the Rail Heritage Board to be custodians of the Metro trains. It will form the centrepiece of a new Metro experience to keep alive the memory of the first light railway system in the country.”
The museum occupies the former RAF Usworth and Sunderland Airport site, next to the Nissan factory, and comprises the former Aircraft Museum (NEAM), a military vehicles collection, and the North East Electric Traction Trust (NEETT), which is also based on the site.
Among its exhibits is an Avro Vulcan B2 bomber, which flew into the former airport to become the first Vulcan to go into a private collection.
Find out more about the North East Land Sea and Air Museum at www.nelsam.org.uk