The Tyne and Wear Metro system is without a doubt one of the best ways to get to where you're wanting to be, should you live in the North East of England. For over 9 years, I've relied upon this fairly frequent (and mostly on time) service to get me from home to my High School, then to NewcastleCollege and finally to work in Gateshead.
Overview of the System -------------------------------- If you've ever travelled on the London Underground then you should already be fairly familiar with the concept. The Tyne and Wear Metro system is not like a regional train service which only stops at fairly major rail stations; most towns in the North East has it's own dedicated Metro station which is served by modern, clean and accessible two-carriage trains every day. In the past few years, the system extended to Sunderland, allowing thousands of people easy access to the heart of Newcastle and to the Quayside which is well known for its landmarks and nightlife.
Frequency of the Service & Punctuality -------------------------------- For the simple fact that I've used the system religiously over the past 9 or so years, (and beyond when I was younger and travelled with my parents), I have seen many delays... but when you consider the time period here.... 9 years... that's not bad going.
On a more understandable daily basis, the Metro rarely sees delays and if they appear it's only by a minute or so. Thankfully all stations see trains around every 10 minutes; 5 minutes should you be at a station served by both lines. The service runs from around 6AM in the morning until around 11:30 at night.
I used to travel home on the last Metro, destined for the Airport, and I'd arrive home by about Midnight - This allows you to have a great night out in town without having to finish up early to ensure you don't miss your connection.
Green and Yellow Line -------------------------------- To date, the Tyne and Wear Metro has two lines; the Green line which serves from the Airport to South Hylton and the Yellow Line which goes from South Shields to St.James (Newcastle United Football Club). Both lines serve the centre of Newcastle and Gateshead so it won't matter which connection you get on board for these destinations.
There are three major interchanges on the system with the most prominent being Monument. From Monument you can change to any train going in any direction along the system, (both North towards South Gosforth, South towards Gateshead and Sunderland and East/West towards St.James' and the Coast respectively). The other major interchanges are South Gosforth, (which is where the main offices are located) and Pelaw.
A few years ago, before the 'Sunderland Extension' was built from Pelaw to South Hylton, the Green line went from the Airport to South Shields. The Yellow line went only as far as Pelaw whilst still starting at St.James. This was very handy for me at the time as I could board a Green Line train at Kingston Park and travel all the way through to South Shields which has some nice beach access, parks and a good weekend market. When the Sunderland Extension was being planned, it was said that a third line was being considered and which would be red in colour, (presumably because Sunderland football's club wore red) but this idea was dropped and obtained the yellow line... which then ultimately turned again into the green line.
The last new station to open was Northumberland Park on the Yellow Line.
Station Facilities and Accessibility -------------------------------- Most of the stations on the Tyne and Wear Metro are on open top ground level and are accessible via shallow ramps which means great accessibility for disabled people and those with small children and buggies. Those stations underground, (mainly between Jesmond to Gateshead, St.James to Manors and Regent Centre) have lifts to carry you to and from the station platform to the concourse and ticket machines. Most of the stations on the Sunderland line are either above or below ground and all contain brand new Kone elevators. There are a few stations left with the older style lifts, (Gateshead and Regent Centre are two) but I believe will be upgraded in the near future. The older lifts have been in operation for as long as I can remember and although they still work, they are prone to frequent failure and can be quite bumpy. (I myself has a nasty experience in the Gatehead lift once where the doors wouldn't open fully and as the lift descended the shaft, I heard things that sounded like metal breaking on top of the car! - Don't worry mind as all the new lifts are extremely smooth, bright, spacious and fast.)
Each Metro Station has an array of automated ticket machines that are very easy to operate. You simply take a look at the system map, count out how many zones you will pass through and buy either a Single or a Return ticket for that many zones. It couldn't be easier. Discounted child and Pensioner fares exist as well as 'DaySaver' tickets and TransFares, that allow you to use the Metro and to then use a connecting bus route or even the Shields Ferry.
Most of the stations have ticket barriers, but there's no need to pass your ticket through them as this requirement was taken away long ago. These barriers simply require you to push the turnstile to advance past them. Years ago, you did need to validate your ticket but not anymore. I've always wondered why they removed this need as the Metro system is always going on about Fare Dodging. The Underground with it's staffed stations and ticket demanding turnstiles make it very difficult to jump past without paying.
This leads me to one disadvantage that the Metro system has. Nearly all of the stations are completely unmanned. The only stations that have staff in them are usually ones that contain a small office for the official cleaners. You can see Metro officials passing through some stations like Gateshead but it's more or less non existent. Should you require help, advice or assistance you'll nearly always need to find an automated Help Point and press the Assistance button. The times you're most likely to find staff at stations is when they have a few of them in hazard overalls doing a surprise ticket inspection... they like doing these!
Saying that though, any staff you might happen to come across are usually always helpful - although I have witnessed a few who are exceptions to that rule!
Train Facilities and Accessibility -------------------------------- Once you're on board a Metro train you're always bound to find seats that are quite comfortable and that are more than adequate for both short and long journeys. Every Metro carriage is now designed for those with wheelchairs, disabilities and both those with children and pensioners. Each carriage has four sets of doors on each side, which are operated by a large bush button in the centre of them. When these open up, a large space with a central handrail is present and this can usually hold a wheelchair or two with no difficulties. As you turn to take a seat. around the central space are priority seating and some single seats that allow both wheelchairs and pushchairs to be pushed right up. This means if you're with friends and have a pushchair, for example, you can sit down with the rest of the group and have the pushchair right next to you - and still not be taking up aisle space.
On top of every central handrail is an Emergency Stop button and Emergency Door Release handles can be found to the left of each set of doors. The carriages are spacious and bright during the day thanks to the inclusion of a lot of window space.
The Metro system has got to be one of the only systems in operation today that let's you take a seat at the very front of the train and lets you get a driver's eye view of your journey. The drivers cab takes up half the front, which means two seats are placed right up the front by a front window. It adds a whole new perspective on your travel =)
Unlike the Underground, the Metro doesn't have any on board displays or an automated voice announcing the next stations; however the drivers usually make vocal announcements themselves when approaching major stations, interchanges and terminus'.
Pricing -------------------------------- The Tyne and Wear Metro used to be unbelievably good value for money and whilst it's still on par with alternate methods, it's not as good value as it used to be. Where you could once go one stop for about 50p as an Adult, its now more around £1.20. To go from one end of the line and back again its about £4.00 (approximately) where it used to be under half of that some time ago.
If you're going to use the Metro a lot in one day, consider buying a Metro DaySaver. These are available from all machines for around £3.50 and offer unlimited travel on the system. For an additional £1 or so, you can buy a Network Ticket which allows one day unlimited use of both the Metro, the Ferry, local bus services and I believe the Newcastle - Sunderland Main Line.
Summary and Conclusion -------------------------------- The Tyne and Wear Metro is hard to beat. Period. It's fast and frequent service should be applauded and the cleanliness of the system is extremely good. The lack of staff at each station is a little dissapointing but I suppose it's not as bad if you're like me and not only used to the system, but understand it inside out. If you're a tourist or a visitor to the area and you get a little stuck then it's either ask a fellow passenger or press that metallic assistance button in the wall.
The trains are also very clean, spacious and great for those who find getting out and about difficult due to the amount of space reserved for wheelchairs and large buggies. Being able to sit up the front is really good fun and also gets you a little privacy as you're out the way of most of what's going on.
The Metro system comes very highly recommended! You'll love it!
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Jun 14th, 2007
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