The Tyne and Wear Metro saw a quarter of a million more journeys over the ten days that Newcastle hosted the Rugby World Cup, new figures show.
Nexus, the public body which owns and manages Metro, said that during the three Rugby World Cup games at St James’ Park, and the Fan Zone events from October 3 to October 11, Metro had an additional 250,000 trips on the system.
The extra customers were a mix of local residents and international visitors who had tickets to attend the games and travelled on the system.
Director of Finance and Resources for Nexus, John Fenwick, said: “The Rugby World Cup has been a massive success for the region and the Metro system has benefited with an extra 250,000 passenger journeys.
“Our trains were busy throughout the events and the match and the extra Metro services provided a fast and effective link for the fans.
“The tournament has showcased the region all over the world and we’re delighted that Metro has played such an important role.
“This extra ticket revenue that we have made from the Rugby World Cup is vital and this be will be reinvested into the system.”
Managing Director or England Rugby 2015, Steve Brown, said: “To deliver the Tournament is a fantastic achievement and I would like to thank all those who have made Rugby World Cup 2015 so special.
"The success of the matches hosted in Newcastle was thanks in no small part to the collective efforts of our partners and stakeholders. The collaboration between multiple transport agencies, including Tyne & Wear Metro, ensured that Newcastle was in a great place for fans on match day.
"The influx of Rugby fans into the north-east certainly helped ensure that the Tournament caught everyone’s imagination and it is great to see that stakeholders, including Metro, have benefited from the experience as well.”
The Rugby World Cup has contributed an estimated £43m of economic impact to the wider regional economy.
The success of the Rugby World Cup for Metro comes just days after it was revealed the system has achieved its highest passenger numbers for five years.
Metro’s moving annual total has now risen above 39 million for the first time since June 2010.
There were a million more journeys on the Metro system compared to the same period last year.
Figures released by the Department for Transport (DfT) in June showed that Metro has the fastest growing passenger numbers in the country outside of London.