Nexus Learning Centre

From Tyne and Wear Metro wiki

The Nexus Learning Centre (NLC), also known as the Metro Maintenance and Renewals Skills Centre, is a 10,400 m2[1] training facility located in South Shields and used for training employees for the Tyne and Wear Metro.[2] The training facility is open from 07:30 to 18:00.[3] It can also be used 24 hours a day to stable and perform light maintenance on up to two Metro trains.[4]

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Layout and facilities

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The main building for the Nexus Learning Centre is located in the centre of the site[5] and is three storeys tall.[6] The building has a total floor area of 3,286 m2, comprising 1,639 m2 on the ground floor, 530 m2 on the first floor, and 1,117 m2 on the second floor.[1]

Two stabling roads (tracks 2 and 3)[7] lead into and terminate[8] inside the ground floor, and include service pits and overhead walkways.[7] The ground floor also includes a reception, canteen, changing rooms, plant room, storerooms, and a mock-up Metro station.[9] The mock-up station is complete with a full-length platform, ticket gates, public address system, CCTV, and Help Points.[6]

The first floor includes an office, two driver training rooms, a drying room, and lockers. The second floor includes a breakout area, three meeting rooms (two of which can be converted into a single larger meeting room), toilets, a plant room, a conference suite for 50 people, offices, a computer suite, four classrooms (which can be converted into two larger classrooms), and a kitchen/canteen.[9][6] There is also a Class 555 train driving simulator.[10]

A 70 m stretch of dual track, disconnected from the Metro network[8] and not live,[7] is located to the northwest of the building and used for the training of engineering staff. It features a crossover, signalling, and overhead lines.[6]

The main staff and visitor car park is located to the southeast of the site, accessible from Mile End Road. A separate, staff-only car park is located adjacent to the signal building to the southwest of the site, accessible from Salem Street.[1]

The Nexus Learning Centre is also the site of River Drive Siding (RDS)[8], or track 1,[7] a live signal building, and a live HV/DC enclosure.[5]

Access

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The depot is linked by rail directly to South Shields station, via the old platform.[8] The reception is accessible via the Mile End Road car park. A delivery road also connects the car park to the rear of the building, which has a secondary entrance and a loading bay.[5]

History

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Nexus announced on 28 November 2017 that they would be building the training centre at a cost of £8.4 million, partially funded via a £7 million grant from the Government's Local Growth Fund through the North East Local Enterprise Partnership. Galliford Try were the principal contractor for the project. Subcontractors included Stephen George + Partners for the design,[11] REL to install the overhead line equipment at a cost of £590,000,[7] Vebro Polymers and MJF Group for the interior flooring,[12] and Curtis Moore for roofing and wall cladding.[13] It was built on the site of existing Metro sidings, which were themselves located on the site of the original South Shields railway station. Work was originally expected to start in April 2018, and be completed in early 2019.[6]

An early design of the learning centre featured two two-storey buildings (one for training and one for maintenance, one of which would be located on the existing Salem Street car park and the site that became River Drive Siding) but a later January 2018 design amalgamated these into one three-storey building.[3]

A planning application for the training centre was submitted to South Tyneside Council on 8 January 2018,[14] and granted with conditions on 19 March 2018. By this point, work was expected to start in May 2018, and be completed by spring 2019.[4] However, work did not actually start until July 2018,[15] and was not complete until summer 2020.[16] Nexus also needed to request multiple changes to the original planning permissions during construction. In August 2018, the planned location was moved 5 m northwest. In July 2019, some work was extended until 22:00, four hours later than originally permitted, to allow for power floating.[17] The cost of the training centre had increased to £9.8 million by 7 March 2019.[18] On 4 April 2019, the North East Joint Transport Committee confirmed that there had been a 17-week delay in delivering the new training centre.[19]

Nexus won for Education and Training Excellence at the Rail Business Awards, largely thanks to the Nexus Learning Centre, on 23 February 2022.[20][21]

The Class 555 train driving simulator was installed in July 2022.[10]

Sources

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  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 Stephen George + Partners LLP (January 2018). "17-152 Nexus Training & Maintenance Facility, South Shields: Design and Access Statement " (archived). Project 17-152. South Tyneside Council (published 8 January 2018).
  2. ↑ "Learning and development" (archived). Nexus.
  3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 Cunningham, Peter (19 February 2018). "Screening Opinion of the Local Planning Authority ST/0055/18/RES" (archived). Area Planning Group, South Tyneside Council.
  4. ↑ 4.0 4.1 "Nexus' £8.4m rail training centre in South Shields gets the green light" (archived from the original). Nexus. 22 March 2018.
  5. ↑ 5.0 5.1 5.2 Stephen George + Partners LLP; Galliford Try (6 August 2018). "Nexus South Shields Rail Training Facility: Proposed Site Layout" (Drawing) (archived). Project 17-152. South Tyneside Council (published 10 August 2018). Diagram K001, Revision L.
  6. ↑ 6.0 6.1 6.2 6.3 6.4 "Nexus to build £8.4m rail training centre in South Shields" (archived from the original). Nexus. 28 November 2017.
  7. ↑ 7.0 7.1 7.2 7.3 7.4 "Nexus Learning Centre" (archived). QTSGROUP.COM. April 2024.
  8. ↑ 8.0 8.1 8.2 8.3 Stade, Christian (October 2025). "Newcastle Upon Tyne Gleisplan" [Newcastle Upon Tyne Trackmap] (archived). Gleisplanweb.de.
  9. ↑ 9.0 9.1 Stephen George + Partners LLP; Galliford Try (5 December 2018). "Nexus South Shields Rail Training Facility: Proposed GA Building Layout" (Drawing) (archived). Project 17-152. South Tyneside Council (published 10 August 2018). Diagram K007, Revision E.
  10. ↑ 10.0 10.1 Younger, Owen (6 April 2026). "Inside the 'revolutionised' training of Tyne and Wear Metro drivers on 'immersive' simulator" (archived). Chronicle Live.
  11. ↑ "Nexus Training Facility, South Shields, UK" (archived). SGP.
  12. ↑ "Nexus Tyne & Wear Metro Learning Centre, UK" (archived). Vebro Polymers.
  13. ↑ "Nexus Training Facility" (archived). Curtis Moore.
  14. ↑ "Dates Page for Planning Application - ST/0055/18/RES" (accessed 12 July 2026). South Tyneside Council.
  15. ↑ "Work starts on £8.4m Nexus Learning Centre in South Shields" (archived from the original). Nexus. 24 July 2018.
  16. ↑ "Record number of new Metro drivers in training at new £8.4m Nexus Learning Centre" (archived from the original). Nexus. 27 November 2020.
  17. ↑ "Next steps for Nexus Learning Centre construction in South Shields: Special permission needed for team building new £8.4million facility" (archived). Shields Gazette. 16 July 2019.
  18. ↑ "Nexus appoints a new Head of Learning" (archived from the original). Nexus. 7 March 2019.
  19. ↑ "North East Joint Transport Committee, Tyne and Wear Sub-Committee Agenda" (archived). North East Combined Authority. 4 April 2019. p. 11.
  20. ↑ "Metro wins at the Rail Business Awards for training excellence" (archived from the original). Nexus. 25 February 2022.
  21. ↑ "Excellence recognised at the 24th Rail Business Awards" (archived). Rail Business UK. 24 February 2022.
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