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The Tyne and Wear 'Metrocar' (British Rail Class 994) serves the Tyne and Wear Metro, a light rail system in North East England, serving Newcastle upon Tyne, Gateshead, South Tyneside, North Tyneside and Sunderland. Since the inception of the Metro the rolling stock has remained the same. The 90 train fleet have been refurbished a number of times, with various liveries. Full refurbishment of the fleet took place between 2010 and 2015. Metrocars have been refurbished by Wabtec Rail at its Doncaster facility with the main goal of the project to extend their service life until 2025.〔(【引用サイトリンク】title=Company chosen to refurbish Tyne and Wear’s 90 Metrocars )〕 == Design == The design of the Metrocars was partly derived from that of the German Stadtbahnwagen B, although the Metrocars were built by the now-defunct Metro-Cammell in Birmingham (now part of Alstom) and were not fitted with the lights and indicators that would have allowed them to run on city streets. Prior to opening, the Metro's two prototypes, 4001 and 4002, still in service, underwent several years of testing at the Metro's test track on North Tyneside, opened in 1975. The sets each consist of two semi-permanently connected cars mounted on three bogies. The outermost bogies are powered, with the centre bogie being articulated between both cars. The trains make use of resistive braking, with air-operated disc brakes for use during the final stages of deceleration. All bogies are equipped with a pair of magnetic track-brakes, which can be used to bring a train to a complete stand in as little as 150m from the maximum service speed. The prototype cars were very similar to the production fleet with the exception of their Kiekert passenger doors which were refitted to match the specification of the production fleet before entering revenue service. The main differences included the use of a "bow" style pantograph, a door in the front and back ends of the trains, and the lack of an external door serving the drivers cab. The prototype cars were also fitted with two different types of block coupling equipment (one at each end), allowing the two designs to be thoroughly tested. Prior their entry into service the prototypes were converted to reflect the specification of the production fleet. The track was also used to test cars for the Hong Kong MTR, also built by Metro-Cammell. To accommodate the larger Hong Kong cars a short above-ground test tunnel had to be demolished. The test track was built on the route of an old mineral wagonway, and it is now home to the Stephenson Railway Museum. Including the two prototype trains, a total of 90 two-car sets were constructed (the original specification for the system stated 120 trains, but this number was cut back due to funding problems). All 90 of the trains are still in operation today, and no serious accidents have taken place in 35 years of operation. The units are allocated TOPS numbers 994001-90, for use when working on the section between Pelaw Junction and South Hylton - which is owned and operated by Network Rail. They also have different horn sounds, as they have been updated on some Metrocars throughout the years of their life. 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「Tyne and Wear Metro rolling stock」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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