Gateshead Interchange

Gateshead
Tyne and 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
History
Opened	1981-11-15
List of stations

Gateshead 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	November 1981

Railways between Newcastle and Gateshead
Legend
East Coast Main Line to Morpeth Tyne and Wear Metro to Monument Manors Central Station Tyne Valley Line to Scotswood Newcastle 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 and Wear Metro, whose station is underground, as well as local bus services. In the period 2008-9 the metro station was used by over 2 million passengers whilst the bus concourse was used by over 3.8 million passengers, making it the busiest bus station in Tyne and Wear.^[1]

The interchange opened in 1981, as part of the third stage of the Tyne and 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. 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.^[2] The redeveloped interchange was officially opened by Alistair Darling who was then Transport Secretary.^[3]

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.^[4]

Bus station

When opened, the bus station (including the travel centre) was operated by Northern General rather than Tyne and Wear PTE, 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 The Baltic Centre and onwards to Newcastle City Centre.

Gallery

• 

  Platform 2 of Gateshead Metro Station

• 

  Quaylink bus 61010 (NK05 PXH). These buses were run by Stagecoach in Newcastle

References

1. NEXUS Business Intelligence Report
2. Maev Kennedy. "Gateshead unveils latest huge artwork". the Guardian. Retrieved 5 May 2015.
3. nechronicle Administrator (30 March 2004). "Bill Jacobs in the house". nechronicle. Retrieved 5 May 2015.
4. "New lighting transforms Gateshead Interchange". Nexus. Retrieved 5 May 2015.

External links

• Train times and station information for Gateshead Interchange from Nexus
• CentreLink X66 bus route to MetroCentre

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