40 eerie pictures of the Tyne and Wear Metro during the coronavirus pandemic – ChronicleLive

Nexus gave ChronicleLive access to document the vital service the Metro is providing during the Covid-19 crisis

A month into the Coronavirus lockdown the usual hustle and bustle of normal daily life across the 60 stations on the Tyne and Wear Metro has been replaced by a strange new reality.

People are actively advised not to travel unless absolutely necessary. Instead, the Metro remains operational to provide a vital service for the essential workers who are risking their own personal safety to provide care for others in this unprecedented and extraordinary time.

Passenger numbers are down a staggering 95% and the regular service timetable which is normally used by commuters for up to 100,000 individual journeys every day has been cut back to cater for just 5-6,000.

The reduced service means there is approximately just one Metro running every 25 minutes. After waiting together while maintaining social distancing, cautious commuters patiently board when the Metro arrives.

One by one they all spread out to sit in the far corners of the carriage while maintaining a notable distance from each other. The potential virus in the air is undetectable, but a mutual sense of fear among the travellers is clearly present.

Huge stations in the heart of Newcastle city centre such as Monument and Haymarket, and Park Lane in Sunderland, are almost deserted.

The escalators which normally carry droves into our cities every hour are creaking away emptily, only regular announcements reminding us to maintain social distancing and to only travel if absolutely essential break the continual silence inside.

The daily human traffic passing through the North East's biggest underground stations has ceased and it can feel a little alarming to encounter a fellow commuter. The fearful thoughts in our heads are hidden as passing smiles are exchanged. Are they carrying the virus? Could I be?

Nervous passengers are taking measures to stay safe, wearing protective face masks and gloves has become the new normal as they wait alone on the normally crammed rush-hour platforms.

Metro staff are still on duty, they are particularly conscious of the new social-distancing rules while encountering potentially infected members of the public.

Cleaners patrol around constantly disinfecting every surface, buttons, handrails and seats. Anything that could have come in contact with a human is now potentially hazardous.

Red and white tape sections off safety zones around the barriers and ticket machines, constantly reminding us to stay at least two metres apart. Handwritten messages from Metro staff such as ''Essential Worker? No? Go home'' and ''Stay home, save lives and live longer" are on display.

How long will all this last? Nobody can answer for certain right now, we can all just hope that sticking to all the new rules and measures in society will eventually help humanity to defeat the virus so one day the Tyne and Wear Metro along with the rest of the UK and the world will return to how things were before Covid-19.

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40 eerie pictures of the Tyne and Wear Metro during the coronavirus pandemic - ChronicleLive