Two people have been charged after a woman was attacked and robbed on a Metro in North Shields.
The robbery happened on Saturday 6 April when a woman was approached while travelling on the Metro and punched in the face. She was also kicked and bitten and had her mobile phone stolen.
Police have now arrested two people in connection with the incident.
A 15-year-old girl from Newcastle has been charged with robbery and is due to appear at court in Newcastle today.
An 18-year-old man has been charged with attempted robbery and is also due to appear at court today.
In a bid to keep emerging engineering talent in the region, Tyne and Wear Metro is creating thirty new apprenticeships for young engineers in the next three years.
Workers who clean the Tyne and Wear Metro are to start their week-long strike today.
Members of the RMT union working on the Metro announced their plans to take industrial action on Wednesday and will walk out for seven days from this evening in a dispute which has already led to stoppages.
Meanwhile, RMT members employed by Arriva Trains Wales' cleaning contractors have received ballot papers for industrial action over a claim for a pay increase and improved terms and conditions.
Workers who clean the Metro are to start a week-long strike, while cleaners at another rail firm are to be balloted for industrial action in separate rows over pay.
Members of the RMT union working on the Metro will walk out for seven days from Friday in a dispute which has already led to stoppages.
Meanwhile, RMT members employed by Arriva Trains Wales' cleaning contractors will receive ballot papers for industrial action over a claim for a pay increase and improved terms and conditions.
RMT general secretary Bob Crow said the union was stepping up its campaign for improved pay and conditions for cleaners on the railways.
"This dispute is a mirror-image of all that is wrong in this country, with greedy company bosses on one side and low paid cleaners providing essential public services on the other."
The Metro line between Byker and North Shields is set to close for six days from Saturday February 16th until Thursday February 21st so that modernisation work can take place.
Metro services in all other parts of the system will operate as usual during the closure.
The work is part of a multi-million pound scheme, costing 385 million pounds, which aims to modernise the Tyne and Wear Metro and refurbish all trains and stations over the next 11 years.
The 900 bus service will run as a replacement for the Metro during the line closures and will call at or near all stations on the affected route.
The Metro line will re-open in full at the start of timetabled services on Friday February 22nd.
“I apologise for the inconvenience this major line closure is going to cause.
Our advice to passengers travelling in the affected area is to allow extra time to complete your journey. There will be a frequent replacement bus service running.
The closure will allow us to complete a number of hugely important modernisation schemes that just can’t be done safely when Metro trains are in operation.
By doing the work over six consecutive days it lessens the need to have more line closures at weekends.”
