The first section of the Tyne and Wear Metro from Tynemouth to Haymarket (in Newcastle City Centre) via Benton, was opened on the 11th of August 1980. At this time, Tynemouth served as the terminus with all trains using the present Platform 2. The first Metro left Tynemouth Station at 5.27am, bound for Haymarket, with fares starting at 8p.

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The Queen Elizabeth II bridge over the Tyne was officialy opened by the Queen on the 6th November, 1981. The bridge was constructed for the Tyne & Wear Metro.

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The Tyne and Wear Metro extension to Newcastle Airport was opened on the 17th November 1991. The extension cost £12m (funded by the EEC) and created 3.5 kilometres of new track beyond Bank Foot, which up until then was the northerly terminus of the Green Line. The new station at the airport has a walkway connecting to the main terminal building. A new station was also built at Callerton Parkway and a second platform was added at Bank Foot.

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The Tyne & Wear Metro extension to Sunderland was opened by the Queen on the 7th of May 2002. The new line runs through the centre of Sunderland and on as far as South Hylton. Parts of the former Sunderland to Durham railway line were used by the new Metro route. 

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'Nocturne', by Nayan Kulkarni, opened on the 26th of April 2007. The work is a "permanent light and colour installation built into the fabric of the QEII Metro Bridge". A two-tone colour pattern on the girders of the bridge changes its aspect according to the angle from which it is viewed from during the day. At night, coloured LED lights, give the appearance of a ripple going across the bridge to  match the ebb and flow of the tide of the River Tyne below.

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Tynemouth Station was officially reopened by Princess Anne on the 2nd of July 2012, following a major restoration. The work won awards, including the Historic England Angel Award for Best Craftsmanship on a Heritage Rescue for 2012.

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The Metro station on King Street in South Shields was permanently closed on the 8th July 2019, in preparation for a new Transport Interchange. During it's 35 years of service the station had been used by over 50 million passengers, including tens of thousands or Great North Run athletes and spectators. The station had also featured in the song 'Stand on the Horizon' by pop group Franz Ferdinand, inspired by singer Alex Kapranos’ childhood in North East.

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A new £21m bus and Metro interchange in South Shields opened to passengers on the 4th of August 2019. It is located on Keppel Street, about 100 meters from the old Metro Station. The Interchange was developed by a partnership of Nexus, South Tyneside Council, Muse Developments and construction contractor Bowmer and Kirkland. Construction of the interchange began in April 2018, and was Phase Two of the £100m 'South Shields 365 regeneration masterplan'.

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