Gateshead Interchange

Gateshead
Tyne & Wear Metro
The main circulating area between the two platforms at Gateshead Metro station, giving an indication of the unusually wide island platform underground.
Location
Place Gateshead town centre
Local authority Gateshead
Fare zone information
Network One zone 1
Metro zone A
Original (1979) zone 26
Station code GHD
Usage
Metro Usage 1.92[1] million
History
Opened 15 November 1981
List of stations
Gateshead Interchange Bus interchange
Location Interchange Centre, West Street, Gateshead
Gateshead
Operated by Nexus
Bus stands 13
Bus operators Go North East, Stagecoach North East
Connections Gateshead Metro station (adjacent)
History
Opened 15 November 1981
Railways between Newcastle and Gateshead
 
East Coast Main Line
to Morpeth
Tyne and Wear Metro
to Monument
Manors
Central Station
Tyne Valley Line
to Scotswood
Newcastle Tyne and Wear Metro
King Edward VII Bridge
High Level Bridge
River Tyne
QEII Metro Bridge
Gateshead
Tyne Valley Line
to MetroCentre
Gateshead Interchange
East Coast Main Line
to Durham
Durham Coast Line
to Heworth
Tyne and Wear Metro
to Gateshead Stadium

Gateshead Interchange is a transport interchange in the centre of the town of Gateshead, England. It is served by the Tyne & Wear Metro, whose station is underground, as well as local bus services. The bus concourse was used by over 3.8 million passengers, making it the busiest bus station in Tyne and Wear.[2]

The interchange opened on 15 November 1981, as part of the third stage of the Tyne & Wear Metro system, which included the main underground sections in the centre of Newcastle upon Tyne, as well as the Queen Elizabeth II Bridge across the River Tyne.[3] It replaced the nearby Gateshead railway station, which closed shortly after the Metro station was opened. In March 2004, the interchange redevelopment around the existing Metro station was completed by Jefferson Sheard Architects, and the large-scale sculpture "Opening Line", by Danny Lane was unveiled.[4] The redeveloped interchange was officially opened by Secretary of State for Transport Alistair Darling.[5]

Gateshead Interchange is the only underground station in Gateshead however it may not be once new stations are built at the Gateshead Quays and the Metrocentre. There is a sub surface station at Heworth.

Metro station

The Metro station at the Interchange is situated below ground and is situated on both the Yellow and Green Lines. There is a regular service northbound towards Newcastle over the sixth Tyne Bridge crossing. Trains go onwards towards Newcastle Airport (Green line) and the Coast (Yellow line). Southbound services head towards Sunderland (Green line) and South Shields (Yellow Line).

The design of the station is very different from the underground stations in central Newcastle, due to the different rock structure south of the River Tyne. The running tunnels are square rather than circular in cross-section, and Gateshead station was excavated as a box.

Lighting in the station was improved by the installation of brighter and more energy efficient light bulbs in July 2014.[6]

Bus station

When opened, the bus station (including the travel centre) was operated by the Northern General Transport Company rather than the Tyne & Wear Passenger Transport Executive, despite being finished in PTE house style. Since then, the bus station has been completely rebuilt.

Express bus route X66 links Gateshead Interchange with Gateshead's MetroCentre. There is a regular Q1 QuayLink bus service that goes from the Interchange, to other local attractions such as The Sage and Baltic Centre for Contemporary Art and onwards to Newcastle city centre.[7]

References

  1. ↑ "Automated Announcements / Track Map / Usage Statistics". 2015–2016. Retrieved 29 April 2017.
  2. ↑ NEXUS Business Intelligence Report
  3. ↑ "Royal opening takes metro over the Tyne to Gateshead" Railway Gazette International November 1981 page 966
  4. ↑ Maev Kennedy. "Gateshead unveils latest huge artwork". The Guardian. Retrieved 5 May 2015.
  5. ↑ nechronicle Administrator (30 March 2004). "Bill Jacobs in the house". nechronicle. Retrieved 5 May 2015.
  6. ↑ "New lighting transforms Gateshead Interchange". Nexus. Retrieved 5 May 2015.
  7. ↑ New stands for your bus service at Gateshead Interchange Nexus 24 July 2015

Coordinates: 54°57′42″N 1°36′15″W / 54.9617°N 1.6041°W / 54.9617; -1.6041

Preceding station   Tyne and Wear Metro   Following station
towards St James via the Coast
Yellow line
towards South Shields
towards Airport
Green line
towards South Hylton
This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.