New Head of Fleet Engineering appointed at Tyne and Wear metro

Paul Patrick, a former apprentice fitter who first joined Metro in 1995, has been appointed as Head of Fleet Engineering at Tyne and Wear Metro Depot in Newcastle – with the responsibility for looking after Metro’s fleet of 90 trains.

Mr Patrick started in his new role at Tyne and Wear Metro in January and is already working hard to drive through improvements in Metro train reliability. He is responsible for leading all of the fleet maintenance and the management of the Metro Depot in South Gosforth, Newcastle.

“When I arrived here as an apprentice I never envisaged that one day I would be in this position,” said Mr Patrick. “My aim is to deliver a much more reliable fleet of Metro trains, because we know it is a big headache for customers when breakdowns occur. It creates delays.

“It’s a big challenge, given the age of our train fleet, but the aim is to reduce the number of train faults. It is the staff on the shop floor who will make us succeed and that is why I am always keen to get out here and engage with them. They are the key.”

After Paul joined Metro in the mid-1990s he served his time as an apprentice before going on to become a Depot Foreman and then in 2010 a Fleet Duty Manager. He took up his new job just ten weeks before the end of the Metro operating concession.

Nexus took over the direct operation of Metro at the beginning of April this year.