Byker Metro station

Byker is a station on the Tyne and Wear Metro, serving Byker and Ouseburn in Newcastle upon Tyne. The station joined the network in November 1982, following the opening of the line between Tynemouth and St. James.

Byker
Tyne and Wear Metro station
LocationByker, City of Newcastle upon Tyne
England
Coordinates54°58′34″N 1°34′47″W
Grid referenceNZ279637
Transit authorityTyne and Wear Passenger Transport Executive
Platforms2
Tracks2
Construction
Bicycle facilities3 Sheffield stands
Disabled accessStep-free access to platform level
Other information
Station codeBYK
Fare zoneA
History
Original companyTyne and Wear Metro
Key dates
14 November 1982Opened
Passengers
2017/180.32 million[1]
Services
Preceding station Metro Following station
Chillingham Road
towards South Shields via Whitley Bay
 Yellow Line Manors
towards St James
Location

Prior to the construction of the Tyne and Wear Metro, there was a British Rail station at Byker, which was located to the north of Shields Road. The station closed to passengers in 1954, with the remainder of the Riverside Branch closing to passengers in July 1973.[2]

The station was used by 318,415 passengers in 2017–18.

Heading west from Byker, the route crosses the dramatic 815 m (2,674 ft) Byker Viaduct over the Ouseburn Valley, then running alongside the East Coast Main Line, before heading underground, to Manors. The S-shaped viaduct was constructed for the Tyne and Wear Metro by Ove Arup, with work commencing in 1976, and completed in 1979.[3][4]

Facilities

Step-free access is available at all stations across the Tyne and Wear Metro network, with ramps providing step-free access to platforms at Byker. The station is equipped with ticket machines, a sheltered waiting area, 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.[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. There is the provision for cycle parking, with 3 cycle racks available for use.[9]

Service and frequency

Byker is served by the  Yellow Line , which operates between South Shields and St. James with an end-to-end journey time of 83 minutes.

Services from platform 1 operate towards South Shields via Whitley Bay, with the first train departing at 05:53 (06:05 on Saturday and 06:12 on Sunday). Services from platform 2 operate towards St. James, with the first train departing at 05:46 (06:05 on Saturday and 06:50 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.[9]

Journey times from Byker are:

See also

References
  1. "Tyne and Wear Metro usage figures 2017–18". Retrieved 21 August 2019.
  2. "Byker Station". Disused Stations. Retrieved 23 March 2020.
  3. Smyth, W. (December 1977). "Byker Viaduct" (PDF). The Arup Journal. 12 (4): 24–27.
  4. Morton, David (24 February 2017). "Bridging the gap at Byker: How Metro, road and rail crosses the Ouseburn Valley". ChronicleLive. Retrieved 22 March 2020.
  5. "Metro passengers feel the benefit of contactless payment". Nexus. 13 January 2014. Retrieved 24 May 2020.
  6. "Revamp for Metro ticket machines". BBC News. 11 December 2011. Retrieved 24 May 2020.
  7. "City Metro stations get new smart ticket machines and gates". Nexus. 22 October 2012. Retrieved 24 May 2020.
  8. "Pop card validators at Metro stations are put through their paces". Nexus. 21 March 2013. Retrieved 24 May 2020.
  9. "Timetables and stations: Byker". Nexus. Retrieved 24 May 2020.
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