On the 10th October, the Metro went head-to-head with a specially branded Metro car, making the 12.1 mile journey from Monkseaton to Newcastle in just 35 minutes compared to 42 minutes for the car. Just a day later, the Metro triumphed again, completing the 9.4 mile journey from Fellgate to Sunderland in 16 minutes, with its rival car crossing the finish line 15 minutes later.
On the mornings of Monday 10th and Tuesday 11th October, Tyne and Wear Metro raced a car across the region and into the city centres of Newcastle and Sunderland during the rush hour commute, to determine the fastest way to travel into city centres. Metro took the victory in both races with ease, beating the Metro branded car on both mornings. On Monday, Metro made the 12.1 mile journey into Newcastle from Monkseaton in just 35 minutes compared with the 42 minutes it took the car. Metro triumphed again on Tuesday and completed the 9.4 mile race from Fellgate to Sunderland in 16 minutes, with the car taking a considerably longer 31 minutes.
Taking place at peak rush hour travel time, Sharon Kelly, Customer Services Director of Tyne and Wear Metro, boarded the trains heading towards Newcastle and Sunderland, whilst the driver, 24 year old Phil Watson, set off at the same time, tacking peak-time traffic on the roads instead.
The ‘Top Gear’ inspired challenges had a 8.20am start time, prime travel time for the morning commute. Sharon Kelly, Customer Services Director of Metro Operator DB Regio boarded the trains heading towards Newcastle and Sunderland. The driver, 24 year old Phil Watson, set off at the same time, instead opting to tackle the rush hour traffic on the roads.
In addition to being quicker, the Metro also offered the cheapest mode of transport. To reach the Grey’s Monument and Bridges shopping centre finish lines, Sharon had to purchase a single ticket to cross three Metro zones on Monday costing £3.00 and a ticket to cross 2 zones on Tuesday costing £2.30. Phil also estimated the cost of his journeys; the journey from Monkseaton to Newcastle used an estimated £5.35 in petrol plus a daily parking charge of £9.90, accruing a total cost of £15.35. The Tuesday race was slightly cheaper for Phil, with petrol estimated at £4.23 and parking costing £8.80, totalling at £13.03.
Sharon Kelly said of her commute: “Both journeys were stress free, passengers have no control over how fast Metro travels and the morning journey is slightly slowed down while passengers board and disembark the train, but there is also no congestion to think about. Metro does get busy during rush hour but there were no problems, I managed to get a seat and enjoyed reading the paper and checking my e-mails on my way in.”
Phil said of his journey: “I was beaten on both days fair and square, it was so frustrating being stuck in traffic when I knew I was against the clock, I can only imagine how annoyed drivers must get doing the same route if they are in a rush to get to work. Before this challenge I would have always opted to drive into the city centre, now I would definitely consider using Metro for my journey, there are no traffic lights and it’s a lot cheaper considering the cost of petrol and parking!”
A poll conducted on Tyne and Wear Metro’s Facebook page, showed that members of the public had faith in Metro, with 91 per cent of voters saying they thought Metro would win.
Sharon continued: “The whole point of ‘My Metro Challenge’ was to have some fun and show people who use Metro that they are making a logical decision as well as show drivers that Metro is a fast and convenient option for their journey to work!”
You can watch the video of the ‘My Metro Challenge’ online at
Tyne and Wear Metro’s Facebook page.