Regent Centre Interchange

Regent Centre is a station on the Tyne and Wear Metro, serving Gosforth in Newcastle upon Tyne. The station joined the network in May 1981, following the opening of the line between South Gosforth and Bank Foot.

Regent Centre
Tyne and Wear Metro station
LocationGosforth, City of Newcastle upon Tyne
England
Coordinates55°00′43″N 1°37′17″W
Grid referenceNZ242686
Transit authorityTyne and Wear Passenger Transport Executive
Platforms2
Tracks2
Bus stands5
Construction
Parking183 spaces
Bicycle facilities
  • 4 cycle lockers
  • 5 cycle pods
Disabled accessStep-free access to platform level
Other information
Station codeRGC
Fare zoneB
History
Original companyTyne and Wear Metro
Key dates
10 May 1981Opened
Passengers
2017/180.71 million[1]
Services
Preceding station Metro Following station
South Gosforth
towards South Hylton
 Green Line Wansbeck Road
towards Airport
Location

The station is adjacent to the Regent Centre Business Park, and about 1⁄2 mi (800 m) from the Tyne and Wear Metro's South Gosforth Depot on Cheswick Drive.

Regent Centre is situated at the site of the former West Gosforth station, which opened in June 1905, as part of the Ponteland and Darras Hall branch of the Blyth and Tyne Railway. The line closed to passengers in June 1929, with the station closing to goods services in August 1967.[2][3]

West Gosforth station consisted of two side platforms, a simple pitched roof station building, and a signal box. The station was demolished entirely in the late 1970s, in order to allow for the construction of Regent Centre Interchange.[2]

Regent Centre Interchange consists of a two platform station below street level, covered by the station concourse. A multi-storey car park and bus station are located on the upper level, with a tall canopy covering the entrance to the station building, extending across the bus station.

The station was used by 713,308 passengers in 2017–18, making it the second-most-used station on the Airport branch, after South Gosforth (1,608,102), and twelfth-most-used on the network.

Facilities

Step-free access is available at all stations across the Tyne and Wear Metro network, with two lifts providing step-free access to platforms. As part of the Metro: All Change programme, new lifts[4] and escalators were installed at the station in 2013.[5][6]

The station is equipped with ticket machines, waiting shelter, seating, next train information displays, timetable posters, and an emergency help point on both platforms. Ticket machines are able to accept payment with credit and debit card (including contactless payment), notes and coins.[7][8] The station is also fitted with smartcard validators, which feature at all stations across the network.[9][10] The station houses a newsagent's shop in the ticket hall.

There is a large pay and display car park available at the station, with 183 spaces, plus 8 accessible spaces. There is also the provision for cycle parking, with 4 cycle lockers and 5 cycle pods available for use. A bus interchange is also available at the station, providing frequent connections in and around Newcastle upon Tyne, North Tyneside and Northumberland.[11]

Service and frequency

Regent Centre is served by the  Green Line , which operates between South Hylton and Airport, with an end-to-end journey time of 64 minutes.

Services from platform 1 operate towards South Hylton, with the first train departing at 05:04 (05:21 on Saturday and 06:10 on Sunday).[note 1] Services from platform 2 operate towards Airport, with the first train departing at 05:18 (05:21 on Saturday and 06:01 on Sunday). Trains run frequently across the network, at intervals of up to every 12 minutes (Monday to Saturday daytime), and every 15 minutes (evening and Sunday), with the last trains departing at around midnight.[11]

Journey times from Regent Centre are:

Bus Station

The bus station is located above the Tyne and Wear Metro station. It opened in May 1981, and similarly to Heworth and Four Lane Ends, was purpose-built for the Tyne and Wear Metro network.

A large mural features on the external wall of the station building. Created by Anthony Lowe, Metro Morning was commissioned in 1988, and depicts passengers travelling in a representation of a rush-hour train.[12]

Nic Armstrong's Have You Paid and Displayed? was commissioned in 2001, and features in the stairwell of the multi-storey car park. It depicts the everyday lives of the car park's users and Tyne and Wear Metro passengers, set amongst contrasting landscape images.[13]

Regent Centre Interchange is served by Arriva North East and Go North East's local bus services, with frequent routes serving Newcastle upon Tyne, North Tyneside and Northumberland. The bus station has 5 departure stands (lettered A–E). Each stand is fitted with seating, next bus information displays, and timetable posters.

See also

References
  1. "Tyne & Wear Metro usage figures". 2017–2018. Retrieved 21 August 2019.
  2. "Disused Stations: West Gosforth Station". Disused Stations. Retrieved 10 March 2014.
  3. "West Gosforth Station". Northumbrian Railways. Archived from the original on 11 March 2014. Retrieved 10 March 2014.
  4. "Refurbishment works starts at Walkergate Metro station". Nexus. 5 November 2013. Retrieved 10 June 2020.
  5. "Gateshead escalator replacement complete". Nexus. Retrieved 10 June 2020.
  6. "Out with the old!". Twitter. @My_Metro. 15 February 2013. Retrieved 10 June 2020.
  7. "Metro passengers feel the benefit of contactless payment". Nexus. 13 January 2014. Retrieved 10 June 2020.
  8. "Revamp for Metro ticket machines". BBC News. 11 December 2011. Retrieved 10 June 2020.
  9. "City Metro stations get new smart ticket machines and gates". Nexus. 22 October 2012. Retrieved 10 June 2020.
  10. "Pop card validators at Metro stations are put through their paces". Nexus. 21 March 2013. Retrieved 10 June 2020.
  11. "Timetables and stations: Regent Centre". Nexus. Retrieved 10 June 2020.
  12. "'Metro Morning' by Anthony Lowe". Nexus. Retrieved 10 March 2014.
  13. "'Have you Paid and Displayed' by Nic Armstrong". Nexus. Retrieved 10 March 2014.

Notes
  1. Some earlier trains operate as far as Pelaw, or terminate at South Shields.
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