Thousands of commuters faced rush-hour delays after signalling problems on the Metro system.
Some trains were running up to 20 minutes late as engineers tried to fix the problem at Gateshead Stadium, which had a knock-on effect across the network.
Passengers were met with chaos as delays increased during rush-hour, causing some trains to be cancelled.
Some rail users said they weren't sure what was happening and some missed connecting train and bus services. Today's hold-ups come less than a fortnight since passengers suffered disruption after cable thieves struck the network.
Civil servant Russ Kirman, 30, of Gosforth, said: "It was annoying really, I had to get a Metro to Gateshead but I missed my connecting bus.
"There were a lot of people at South Gosforth Metro Station waiting, and you could hardly hear the announcements of what was going on.
"After all the metal thefts over the last few weeks and then this, it's disappointing . You don't mind if you know what is going on, it was the lack of information really."
The problem started at around 5am when a signal box failed and engineers were still working up until rush-hour to repair the fault.
All Metro drivers had to be talked through the system, being advised when to move by control room staff. Nexus chiefs assured passengers they were not in any danger and the talk-through procedure was safe.
A Metro spokesman said: "Due to a signal failure this morning at Gateshead Stadium there have been delays to all trains which got more serious as the rush hour continued and some peak-time trains were cancelled as a result.
"We apologise for the inconvenience caused to our passengers. Staff have been on site since five this morning to try and fix the problem."
Last month the Chronicle reported how commuters faced delays after vandalism took place in Jarrow, South Tyneside.
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