Stadium of Light Metro station in Sunderland has been given a vibrant refresh, restoring its iconic red and white stripes to their former glory. Situated near the home of Sunderland AFC on the banks of the River Wear, the station has been repainted and updated as part of Nexus’s ongoing Metro station improvement programme.

The refurbishment involved carefully rubbing down the vitreous enamel (VE) panels before applying fresh red and white paint by hand. Sunderland FC badges, which had partially flaked over time, have also been fully restored, ensuring the station’s football-themed identity shines through.

Ian Gallagher, Head of Building Service Maintenance at Nexus, said:

“We’ve completely renewed Stadium of Light Metro station’s famous red and white colour scheme so that it now looks as good as new. The station’s overall appearance has been vastly improved. This was a great project for our team to work on, and it will no doubt really resonate with Sunderland supporters, seeing this particular Metro station back to looking its very best in a season that the club has returned to the Premier League. A few of our team members who carried out the work are Sunderland fans themselves, so they’re particularly proud to see it completed. It forms part of an improvement programme that we are carrying out right across the system to improve and refresh Metro stations for our customers.”

Cllr Lindsey Leonard, Sunderland City Council’s Cabinet Member for Environment, Transport and Net Zero, added:

“It’s great to see the refreshed colours at the Stadium of Light Metro station, and a big thanks to Nexus and its team for the update. Sunderland AFC are at the heart of our city, a key part of our heritage and identity, and visually this update clearly marks out and brands the station. For residents, visitors and away fans, there’s certainly no mistaking this for any other station on the Tyne and Wear Metro network. Ha’way the lads!”

Roberta Redecke, Head of Business Services at Sunderland BID, said:

“Not only does the station now look wonderful, but the new bridge has greatly improved accessibility, enhancing the visitor experience for fans and anyone using the station, and making it even easier to enjoy everything the city has to offer.”

Stadium of Light Metro station first adopted Sunderland AFC’s colours in 2017. The work forms part of a wider programme of improvements across the Metro network, with six other suburban stations recently receiving upgrades: West Monkseaton, Cullercoats, Hadrian Road, Chillingham Road, Manors and Long Benton.

Nexus