Extra Metro services to be in operation for the Great North Run
People are being advised to allow extra time for their journeys on Sunday
Extra Metro services will be in operation for the Great North Run on Sunday 11 September - and runners and spectators are being advised to allow extra time for their journeys and to buy their tickets in advance.
Nexus, the public body which owns and manages Metro, said that the day of the run was its busiest Sunday of the year, and it would be operating the additional Metro services to help runners get to the start line, and to get home afterwards.
This year’s event returns to its traditional route, starting in Newcastle, and finishing on the South Shields sea front.
Customers are advised that trains will still be extremely busy, so they need to leave extra travelling time and be prepared to wait in long queues.
Crowd control will be in place at some stations, including South Shields Interchange where runners and spectators should need to go for Metro service after the run.
Customer Services Director at Nexus, Huw Lewis, said:
“We are really looking forward to welcoming many thousands of runners and spectators on Metro for this year’s Great North Run, which returns to its traditional finish in South Shields.
“We will have extra trains running all day to help people get to the start and then get home afterwards.
“Customers are advised to allow plenty of time to travel, and expect queues at stations. There will be queue management in place at South Shields after the race as we look to get everyone home as quickly as we can.
“The Great North Run is our busiest Sunday of the year. We will carry in the region 100,000 customers across the day. Extra trains and extra staff are all deployed to ensure everything runs smoothly.”
“It’s fantastic day for North East England, getting global attention and raising millions of pounds for charity. We are proud that Metro and the Shields Ferry have such an important role to play.”
Metro is encouraging customers to avoid queuing at the ticket machines on the day by buying a Metro ticket in advance.
To assist with the movement of customers and improve crowd control Nexus will be temporarily closing the following stations:
• Haymarket - No entry into the station (exit only) from 8.00am until 10.40am. Please use Jesmond.
• Jesmond - Closed from 10.40am until early afternoon. Please use Haymarket.
• Manors - Closed from 10.40am until early afternoon. Please use Haymarket.
• Chichester - Closed from about 1.00pm until early evening. Please use South Shields.
After the run There will be queues for Metro trains at South Shields Interchange, so please be prepared to wait. If you have a Metro ticket have it handy, if you don't have a ticket you'll be able to buy one from a member of the customer service team.
If you'd rather let the queues reduce before joining them, there are a number of cafes, restaurants and pubs in South Shields to visit.
More information can be found at www.nexus.org.uk/greatnorthrun.
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