MetroCentre railway station

For the Washington Metro station, see Metro Center station.

MetroCentre
National Rail
General information
LocationMetrocentre, Gateshead
England
Coordinates54°57′32″N 1°39′54″W / 54.9588888°N 1.6649320°W / 54.9588888; -1.6649320
Grid referenceNZ215627
Owned byNetwork Rail
Managed byNorthern Trains
Transit authorityTyne and Wear PTE
Platforms2
Tracks2
Other information
Station codeMCE[1]
History
Original companyBritish Rail (Eastern Region)
Key dates
3 August 1987 (1987-08-03)Opened as Gateshead MetroCentre
17 May 1993Renamed MetroCentre
Passengers
2020/21Decrease 61,036
2021/22Increase 0.287 million
2022/23Increase 0.321 million
2023/24Increase 0.519 million
2024/25Increase 0.632 million
Location
MetroCentre is located in Tyne and Wear
MetroCentre
MetroCentre
Location in Tyne and Wear, England
Notes
Passenger statistics from the Office of Rail and Road

MetroCentre is a railway station on the Tyne Valley Line, which runs between Newcastle and Carlisle via Hexham. The station, situated 3 miles 33 chains (3.41 mi; 5.49 km) west of Newcastle, between Dunston and Blaydon,[2] serving the MetroCentre shopping centre, Gateshead in Tyne and Wear, England. It is owned by Network Rail and managed by Northern Trains.

History

The station was opened on 3 August 1987 by British Rail, and was initially named Gateshead MetroCentre.[3] The station's name was shortened to MetroCentre on 17 May 1993.[4]

The station is situated on a section of line built by the North Eastern Railway, which was constructed in sections between 1893 and 1909.[5] It linked the lines over the newly commissioned King Edward VII Bridge with the original Newcastle and Carlisle Railway freight route to Redheugh and Dunston Coal Staiths, dating back to 1837.[6]

Between January and February 2020, the platforms at the station were extended ahead of the introduction of upgraded rolling stock, as part of the Great North Rail project.[7][8]

Facilities

The station seen in 2024

The station has two platforms, both of which have seating, a waiting shelter, next train audio and visual displays and an emergency help point. There is a footbridge linking the station with the Metrocentre, which provides step-free access to both platforms.[9]

MetroCentre has recently joined the Northern Trains penalty fare network, as new ticket machines were installed at the station in December 2020.[10]

Passenger volume

Passenger Volume at Metrocentre[11]
2002–03 2004–05 2005–06 2006–07 2007–08 2008–09 2009–10 2010–11 2011–12 2012–13 2013–14 2014–15 2015–16 2016–17 2017–18 2018–19 2019–20 2020–21 2021–22 2022–23
Entries and exits 343,026 375,943 375,509 373,071 384,318 380,572 373,436 365,680 356,764 374,860 374,468 363,108 354,240 350,376 335,076 301,738 298,940 61,036 287,294 320,764

The statistics cover twelve month periods that start in April.

Services

All services are operated by Northern Trains.

Mondays to Saturdays, there are generally three trains per hour between Newcastle and Hexham, two of which continue to Carlisle. Some of the Newcastle services extend to Morpeth or Middlesbrough via Hartlepool. On Sundays, there are three trains per hour between Newcastle and MetroCentre, with one of the westbound services continuing to Carlisle and one of the Newcastle services continuing to Ashington.[12]

Preceding station National Rail National Rail Following station
Dunston
towards Newcastle 		  Northern Trains
Tyne Valley Line 		  Blaydon
towards Carlisle

References

  1. ^ "Railway Codes". railwaycodes.org.uk. Retrieved 27 September 2022.
  2. ^ Bridge, Mike, ed. (2017). TRACKatlas of Mainland Britain: A Comprehensive Geographic Atlas Showing the Rail Network of Great Britain (3rd ed.). Sheffield: Platform 5 Publishing Ltd. p. 136. ISBN 978 1909431 26 3.
  3. ^ Butt, R.V.J. (1995). The Directory of Railway Stations. Yeovil: Patrick Stephens Ltd. p. 102. ISBN 1-85260-508-1. R508.
  4. ^ Quick 2023, p. 314.
  5. ^ Body, G Railways of the Eastern Region Volume 2, 1988, Patrick Stephens Ltd, Wellingborough, ISBN 1-85260-072-1, p.133
  6. ^ Marsden, Richard. "The North Eastern Railway: Bridges around Newcastle". LNER Encyclopedia. Archived from the original on 24 October 2020. Retrieved 21 October 2020.
  7. ^ "Upgrade at MetroCentre station will mean more seats for passengers". Network Rail Media Centre. 14 January 2020. Archived from the original on 26 October 2020. Retrieved 21 October 2020.
  8. ^ Collings, Katie (14 January 2020). "Metrocentre station platform extended to make way for trains with more seats". ChronicleLive. Archived from the original on 26 October 2020. Retrieved 21 October 2020.
  9. ^ "MetroCentre Station Train Tickets, Departures and Timetables". Northern Trains. Archived from the original on 23 October 2020. Retrieved 20 October 2020.
  10. ^ "Penalty Fares Map". Northern Trains. Archived from the original on 19 October 2020. Retrieved 20 October 2020.
  11. ^ "Estimates of station usage | ORR Data Portal". dataportal.orr.gov.uk. Retrieved 24 December 2023.
  12. ^ Table 42 National Rail timetable, December 2023

Bibliography

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