South Shields Interchange

South Shields is a terminus station on the Tyne and Wear Metro, serving South Shields in South Tyneside. The station, originally located on King Street, joined the network in March 1984, following the opening of the line between Heworth and South Shields.

For the former British Rail station, see South Shields railway station.

South Shields
Tyne and Wear Metro station
LocationSouth Shields, South Tyneside
England
Coordinates54°59′47″N 1°25′55″W
Grid referenceNZ325651
Transit authorityTyne and Wear Passenger Transport Executive
Platforms1
Tracks1
Bus stands15
Construction
Bicycle facilities4 cycle lockers
Disabled accessStep-free access to platform level
Other information
Station codeSSS
Fare zoneC
History
Original companyTyne and Wear Metro
Key dates
24 March 1984Opened
8 July 2019Closed
4 August 2019Resited and reopened
Passengers
2017/180.59 million[1]
Services
Preceding station Metro Following station
Terminus Yellow Line Chichester
towards St. James via Whitley Bay
Location

The former railway station at South Shields, located on Mile End Road, opened in 1879, under the North Eastern Railway – later becoming part of the Tyneside Electrics network. It closed for conversion in June 1981, ahead of opening as part of the Tyne and Wear Metro network.

Conversion work saw the station re-located about 200 m (660 ft) from the former British Rail station, with the construction of a new station on a bridge over King Street.[2] The original Grade II listed station building, located near to Mile End Road, remained following conversion, but was demolished in the late 1990s.

The first Tyne and Wear Metro station was closed in July 2019, and re-sited around 100 m (330 ft) to the south east. In August 2019, the station re-opened, as part of the new South Shields Interchange. As of June 2020, South Shields is the only station to have been closed in the network's 40-year history.[3][4]

In July 2018, Nexus announced the beginning of work to construct the new £8.4 million Maintenance and Renewals Skills Centre, to the north of the station.[5][6][7] As of June 2020, the project is still under construction.

The station was used by 588,248 passengers in 2017–18, making it the fourteenth-most-used station on the network.

Facilities
The new station under construction in 2019

Step-free access is available at all stations across the Tyne and Wear Metro network, with two lifts providing step-free access to platforms at South Shields. The station is equipped with ticket machines, sheltered waiting area, seating, next train information displays, timetable posters, and an emergency help point. Ticket machines are able to accept payment with credit and debit card (including contactless payment), notes and coins.[8][9] 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.[10][11] The station houses a bakery and a Nexus TravelShop,[12] both of which are located within the bus concourse.

There is no dedicated car parking available at the station, however there are a number of pay and display car parks operated by South Tyneside Council located nearby. A taxi rank is located on Keppel Street. There is the provision for cycle parking, with 4 cycle lockers available for use. A large bus interchange is located on the lower level, providing frequent connections in and around South Tyneside and Sunderland.[13]

Service and frequency

South Shields 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 St. James via Whitley Bay, with the first train departing at 05:44 (05:48 on Saturday and 07:03 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.[13]

Journey times from South Shields are:

Bus Station

A bus station is located below the Tyne and Wear Metro station. It opened in August 2019, having replaced the former bus station on Keppel Street.[14][15][16]

It is served by Go North East and Stagecoach North East's local bus services, with frequent routes serving South Tyneside, Sunderland, Gateshead and Newcastle upon Tyne. The bus station has 14 departure stands (lettered A–P), with an additional stand used by long-distance coach services. 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: South Shields Metro Station". Disused Stations. Retrieved 6 June 2020.
  3. "South Shields Metro station closes to make way for new transport interchange". Nexus. 5 July 2019. Retrieved 6 June 2020.
  4. Collings, Katie (7 July 2019). "Nexus to shut Metro station for first time ever as new South Shields interchange is built". ChronicleLive. Retrieved 6 June 2020.
  5. "Work starts on £8.4m Nexus Learning Centre in South Shields". Nexus. 24 July 2018. Retrieved 6 June 2020.
  6. "Nexus' £8.4m rail training centre in South Shields gets the green light". Nexus. 22 March 2018. Retrieved 6 June 2020.
  7. "Nexus to build £8.4m rail training centre in South Shields". Nexus. 28 November 2017. Retrieved 6 June 2020.
  8. "Metro passengers feel the benefit of contactless payment". Nexus. 13 January 2014. Retrieved 6 June 2020.
  9. "Revamp for Metro ticket machines". BBC News. 11 December 2011. Retrieved 6 June 2020.
  10. "City Metro stations get new smart ticket machines and gates". Nexus. 22 October 2012. Retrieved 6 June 2020.
  11. "Pop card validators at Metro stations are put through their paces". Nexus. 21 March 2013. Retrieved 6 June 2020.
  12. "South Shields TravelShop". Nexus. Retrieved 6 June 2020.
  13. "Timetables and stations: South Shields". Nexus. Retrieved 6 June 2020.
  14. Murray, Kieran (30 July 2019). "First look inside South Shields' new transport interchange ahead of opening". ChronicleLive. Retrieved 6 June 2020.
  15. "South Shields bus and metro interchange 'best in country'". BBC News. 4 August 2019. Retrieved 6 June 2020.
  16. "Bus services in South Shields switch to the town's new transport interchange". Nexus. 9 August 2019. Retrieved 6 June 2020.
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