Pop-up museum celebrates Metro's history

A North East transport operator has given a vacant shop a new lease of life as a pop-up museum.

Nexus has opened the temporary exhibition at Monument Metro station in Newcastle, converting a former travel centre into a space showcasing the story of the Tyne and Wear Metro.

The museum features archive photographs charting the network's construction and its Royal opening in 1981, while also paying tribute to the original Metro train fleet, which completed its final guaranteed passenger services on 26 June.

Conceived by Nexus stakeholder relations officer Jamie Robson, the project aims to give visitors a greater insight into how the Metro was created and the role it has played across the region over more than four decades.

Jamie said: “Our new pop-up museum celebrates the amazing history of the Tyne and Wear Metro.  

“The until was the ideal location for the exhibit. 

“It has helped to breathe new life into the facility.  

“The displays show the most iconic archive images across the five decades that we’ve had a metro system, from when it was built, to its many Royal visits.  

“It’s a fascinating trip down memory lane and is a reminder how significant it was for our region to get an underground light rail system, which, at the time, was the first of its kind outside of London.  

“We are looking forward to our customers popping into the museum over the summer to have a look around. 

“Monument is the busiest station on the Metro system, so we are expecting it to be popular.  

“It also comes at a time when we’ve just had a week of special commemorative runs in service of the old Class 599 Metro fleet. 

“The exhibit is a fantastic way to look back at their amazing life of service.”  

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