Maintenance engineer Steve Rowell, who works at the Metro Fleet Depot in South Gosforth in Newcastle, has developed a method of successfully refurbishing and manufacturing the components from a Metro car's coupler, which is the train's equivalent of a shock absorber.

Using approved procedures and techniques, Steve established a refurbishment process for two of the key parts that make up the coupler that connects the Metro carriages together.

The couplers allow mechanical and electrical connection between Metro carriages, train swing, rotational movements and can withstand all dynamic forces that are placed on the train on a daily basis.

The process for recycling them involves re-engineering two key parts of the coupler, known as the draft tube and the shear ring.

This has meant that Metro can now recover and re-use these assets for significant cost savings against purchasing completely new parts.

Steve's idea, which has delivered recent and continued savings, earned him the company's annual award for the Best use of Metro Assets.

Steve, 32, of Chapel House in Newcastle, said: "This process has enabled us to safely and effectively reclaim used train parts and make significant cost savings.

"Even though we are re-using the parts from train's coupler we apply the same criteria for safety, force and energy requirements in accordance with the original design specification.

"Sample batches are sent away for independent testing to ensure they comply with industry standards."

Metro Director Mick Carbro said: "Steve gave up his own time to develop and implement this process for reclaiming used parts when we overhaul our couplers.

"This was a complex task because industry standards set stringent limits that all components must comply with."