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Metro is the ideal way to see the Tall Ships, says operator Nexus. 'Leave the car behind' is the plea to motorists, as Nexus announces what it’s doing to carry the thousands of visitors attending next week’s event. Extra Metros, additional station staff to help passengers and pedestrians, a special Tall Ships map showing the best way to get there and a free new bus service linking the centres of Newcastle and Gateshead to the Quayside will all complement existing Metro and bus services along with a park and ride service, which will be running until Thursday. Mike Parker, Director General of Nexus, said: "There will be hundreds of thousands of people coming to visit Tall Ships. It is vital if we are to prevent gridlock that during next week they leave their cars at home and use the Metro, bus Superoutes or park and ride to get into town and then the free Quaylink service or designated walking routes to get down to the river. "We will be operating additional Metros, and providing many extra staff to help people and to distribute the Tall Ships maps showing how to get there." With almost a million visitors expected to descend on the Newcastle and Gateshead Quays, Nexus says Metro offers value for money and is perfect for beating the traffic. NOTES Extra Metros are running from Sunday through until Thursday. On Sunday, July 24th, between 12.30pm and 7.30pm, there will be eight extra trains shuttling between St James' and North Shields to accommodate people heading to the coast to see the ships arriving. On Monday July 25 and Tuesday July 27 there will be eight extra trains from St James to Pelaw via the coast from 7am until 9.30pm. On Wednesday, July 28th, there are eight extra trains between St James and Pelaw via the coast from 7.45am until 1230am. Services are running later to deal with the extra numbers expected to attend the firework display on the Quayside. On Thursday, July 28th, there are eight extra trains from 7.45am until 6.45pm between St James and Pelaw via the coast. There is also an extra train between Airport and South Shields for the parade of sail. A pre-paid commemorative day-saver ticket is available from Metro Travel shops for £3.20 which can be used on the Metro and the Shields Ferry all day. Park and ride facilities are available in one of five secure locations - Gosforth Park, Newcastle, Allendale Road, Newcastle, Town Moor, Newcastle, Lobley Hill, Gateshead and Heworth, Gateshead From all locations there will be frequent, reliable double-decker coaches travelling directly into the event, arriving every ten minutes from all locations. The new Quay Link buses will be up and running for Tall Ships and will make travelling to and from the Newcastle-Gateshead Quays quick, easy and reliable. Thanks to Nexus and Stagecoach this service is free of charge between Sunday and Thursday.
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