Extra Metro services will be in operation for Sunday’s Great North Run - and runners and spectators are being advised to allow extra time for their journeys and to buy tickets in advance.
There will be additional Metro services will be running until around 7pm, when the timetable returns to normal, with trains running every 7 ½ minutes between Newcastle city centre and South Shields, to help people to the start of the run, and home afterwards.
There will be around eight trains an hour from South Shields with each train capable of carrying 600 passengers. Metro services are expected to be very busy throughout the day on Sunday 11 September as around 90,000 people use the system to enjoy the event.
DB Regio Tyne and Wear, which operates Metro on behalf of Nexus, is encouraging those planning to use the Metro to plan ahead and buy tickets in advance.
The Great North Run is the busiest day of the year for Metro and a range of measures have been put in place this year to ensure a good service is provided to customers on the day.
A new queuing system will be in place at South Shields Metro station after the run to show people how long they can expect to wait for Metro trains.
Metro staff will keep people informed with approximate waiting times and will be available to sell Metro tickets to people in the queue. There will also be entertainment provided by Metro in association with Smooth Radio near the station to help pass the time.
Some stations will be temporarily closed before and after the run to help with the movement of passengers, improve crowd control and manage the queues. These include; Haymarket, which will be exit only from 8am until the start of the race; Jesmond will close from 10.40am until early afternoon; and Chichester will close at 3pm until later in the evening.
Chris Carson, Operations Director at DB Regio Tyne and Wear, which operates Metro on behalf of Nexus, said: “Planning for this year’s Great North Run has been underway for a number of months and extra resources are in place to manager the huge level of demand. I’m confident that the measures we have in place will allow us to provide a good service to our customers on what is Metro’s busiest day of the year.
“However, I would advise customers to expect long queues and trains to be extremely busy. Runners and spectators should allow extra time for their journeys and purchase tickets in advance to avoid further queues at ticket machines on the day.
“We will have lots of staff on the ground at key locations across the network who will be able to provide advice and assistance to customers. We will clear queues as quickly as possible but it will take time so I would ask customers to remain patient.”