Gateshead | ||||||||||||||||
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| General information | ||||||||||||||||
| Location | Gateshead,Borough of Gateshead England | |||||||||||||||
| Coordinates | 54°57′42″N1°36′16″W / 54.9617219°N 1.6044065°W /54.9617219; -1.6044065 | |||||||||||||||
| Grid reference | NZ255631 | |||||||||||||||
| System | Tyne and Wear Metro station | |||||||||||||||
| Transit authority | Tyne and Wear PTE | |||||||||||||||
| Platforms | 2 | |||||||||||||||
| Tracks | 2 | |||||||||||||||
| Bus stands | 14 | |||||||||||||||
| Construction | ||||||||||||||||
| Bicycle facilities |
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| Accessible | Step-free access to platform level | |||||||||||||||
| Other information | ||||||||||||||||
| Station code | GHD | |||||||||||||||
| Fare zone | A | |||||||||||||||
| History | ||||||||||||||||
| Original company | Tyne and Wear Metro | |||||||||||||||
| Key dates | ||||||||||||||||
| 15 November 1981 | Opened | |||||||||||||||
| Passengers | ||||||||||||||||
| 2017/18 | 1.81 million[1] | |||||||||||||||
| Services | ||||||||||||||||
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Gateshead Interchange is aTyne and Wear Metro station, serving the town ofGateshead inTyne and Wear, England. It joined the network on 15 November 1981, following the opening of the third phase of the network, betweenHaymarket andHeworth.
The station replaced theformer British Rail station, which closed in November 1981, with the Tyne and Wear Metro station situated around1⁄4 mi (400 m) to the south west of the former.[2]
The design of the station is very different from the underground stations in central Newcastle, due to the different rock structure south of theRiver Tyne. The running tunnels are square, rather than circular in cross-section, with the station excavated as a box.
Keith Grant'sNight andDay artworks were commissioned for the station in the early 1980s, at opposite ends of the station at platform level. The artwork consists of two mosaic mountain peaks, set against the backdrop of a day and night sky.[3]
Upon leaving the station (trains towards Newcastle), a second art installation is visible in the tunnel. Elizabeth Wright'sSpace Travel was commissioned in 2005, and showcases a series of 115 images which read like a short animated film strip.[4]
Step-free access is available at all stations across the Tyne and Wear Metro network, with a lift providing step-free access to platforms at Gateshead. The station is equipped with ticket machines, seating, next train information displays, timetable posters, and an emergency help point. Ticket machines are able to accept payment with credit and debit card (includingcontactless payment), notes and coins.[5][6] The station is fitted with automatic ticket barriers, which were installed at 13 stations across the network during the early 2010s, as well as smartcard validators, which feature at all stations.[7][8]
There is no dedicated car parking available at the station, however there are a number ofpay and display car parks operated byGateshead Council located nearby. A taxi rank is located on Walker Terrace. There is the provision for cycle parking, with four cycle lockers, five cycle racks and five cycle pods available for use. A large bus interchange is located on the upper level, providing frequent connections across the region.[9]
As of April 2021[update], the station is served by up to ten trains per hour on weekdays and Saturday, and up to eight trains per hour during the evening and on Sunday. Additional services operate betweenPelaw andBenton,Monkseaton,Regent Centre orSouth Gosforth at peak times.[10]
Gateshead Interchange is located above theTyne and Wear Metro station. It originally opened on 15 November 1981, and upon opening, was operated byNorthern General – despite being designed in the house style of theTyne and Wear PTE.
The original bus station was demolished and re-built in the early 2000s, to a design byJefferson Sheard Architects. It was officially re-opened on 29 March 2004, by the thenSecretary of State for Transport,Alistair Darling.[11] The building houses a number of shops and services, as well as aNexus TravelShop.[12]
Danny Lane'sOpening Line installation features in the bus station, and consists of a sequence of forms in steel and glass, stretching about 90 m (300 ft) in length, 1 m (3.3 ft) in width, and up to 5 m (16 ft) in height.[13][14]
It is served byArriva North East andGo North East's local bus services, with frequent routes servingGateshead andNewcastle upon Tyne, as well asCounty Durham,South Tyneside,Sunderland andTeesside. The bus station has 13 departure stands (lettered A–N), with an additional stand used by long-distance coach services. Each stand is fitted with seating, next bus information displays, and timetable posters.
Media related toGateshead Interchange at Wikimedia Commons
