Metro Connect
Metro Connect is a free public Wi-Fi network available at some Tyne and Wear Metro stations. It is part of a wider free public Wi-Fi network across Newcastle and Manchester[1] called Purple ConneX.
Availability
[edit | edit source]As of 15 October 2026, Metro Connect is available at Central Station, Haymarket,[2][3] and St James[OR] Metro stations. Purple announced on LinkedIn that it will be providing Wi-Fi at 12 Metro stations and five of Nexus' offices.[4] Nexus announced on 21 September 2026 that it would be introduced at Monument, Jesmond, and Gateshead over the following seven months, however, they did not confirm the other six stations suggested by Purple.[2]
Connecting
[edit | edit source]Nexus recommends that the easiest way to connect to Metro Connect is through the Pop app,[5] which shows a banner on the home screen when location permissions are enabled, the user's nearest station supports Metro Connect,[6] and the device isn't already connected to Metro Connect or Purple ConneX. However, internally, the button in this banner just prompts the device to connect to the "Metro Connect" SSID, so connecting via the Pop app provides no additional support or functionality compared to connecting directly through a device's native Wi-Fi settings.
Since Metro Connect is part of the wider Purple ConneX network, users can also connect to it using the "PurpleConnex" or "Secure Purple WiFi" SSIDs, or using Purple's mobile app, which will also connect the user to other supported free Wi-Fi nodes provided by Purple. Purple ConneX also supports Hotspot 2.0, meaning compatible devices with Hotspot 2.0 enabled will also connect automatically without any user interaction.
Pop app technical details
[edit | edit source]The Pop app has supported Metro Connect since build 360, which was released on 9 December 2025. The Pop app receives a list of stations currently supporting the Metro Connect network from its journey plan API, meaning that users on build 360 or later should be able to use it to connect to Metro Connect at more stations supported in the future without a software update.
Restrictions
[edit | edit source]Metro Connect does not appear to be metered. Speed tests conducted at Central Station on 10 December 2025 showed symmetrical speeds of roughly 100 Mbps.[OR] However, "indecent and inappropriate material" is filtered.[5]
History
[edit | edit source]Metro Connect was first introduced at Central Station as part of a three-month trial on 8 December 2025. Nexus said that, if the trial were successful and demonstrated high customer demand, then they would assess providing it at other key sub-surface Metro stations.[5][7]
On 6 September 2026, it was found that Metro Connect had become available at Haymarket, such that passengers who had already connected at Central Station would automatically be connected at Haymarket. On 10 September 2026, Purple announced on LinkedIn that it would be providing Wi-Fi at 12 Metro stations and five of Nexus' offices.[4] On 15 September 2026, it was found to have also been made available at St James.[OR] Nexus confirmed its introduction at Haymarket on 21 September 2026 and announced that it would be introduced at Monument, St James, Jesmond, and Gateshead over the following seven months, however, they did not confirm the other six stations suggested by Purple.[2] The Pop app began recognising both Haymarket and St James as connected stations on 23 September 2026.[OR] As of 15 October 2026, Nexus has yet to confirm that Metro Connect is already available at St James.
Sources
[edit | edit source]- ↑ "What is Purple ConneX" (archived). Purple.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 "Metro’s free Wi-Fi will be rolled out to more stations" (archived). Nexus. 21 September 2026.
- ↑ Goodwin, Nicole (22 September 2026). "Free Wi-Fi to be extended on Tyne and Wear Metro network" (archived). Chronicle Live.
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 "Purple is coming to the Tyne and Wear Metro.". Purple | B Corp™. LinkedIn. 10 September 2026.
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 5.2 "Free Wi-Fi is trialled on the Tyne and Wear Metro" (accessed 29 May 2026). Nexus. 10 December 2025.
- ↑ "Metro Connect" (accessed 29 May 2026). Nexus.
- ↑ Younger, Owen (10 December 2025). "Free Wi-Fi being trialled for Tyne and Wear Metro system for the first time" (archived). Chronicle Live.
