Longbenton Metro station
Longbenton is a station on the Tyne and Wear Metro, serving Longbenton in North Tyneside and High Heaton in Newcastle upon Tyne. The station joined the network in August 1980, following the opening of the line between Haymarket and Tynemouth – the first stage of the network to open.
Longbenton | |
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Tyne and Wear Metro | |
Location | |
Place | Longbenton |
Local authority | North Tyneside |
Coordinates | 55.0088°N 1.5914°W |
Fare zone information | |
Metro zone | B |
Network One | 2 |
Original zone | 17 |
Station code | LBN |
Operations | |
Platforms | 2 |
Usage | |
Metro Usage | 0.80[1] million |
History | |
Original company | London and North Eastern Railway |
Opened | 14 July 1947 |
Closed for conversion | 23 January 1978 |
Metro since | 11 August 1980 |
Distance from datum | |
Out distance | 1.346 km (0.84 mi) |
In distance | 27.415 km (17.03 mi) |
List of stations |
Longbenton is located a short walk from the nearby HMRC Benton Park View on Benton Park Road, and about 3⁄4 mile (1.2 km) from the Freeman Hospital.
The station was used by 804,705 passengers in 2017–18, making it the most-used station in North Tyneside, and the ninth-most-used on the network.
History
The station originally opened in July 1947, under the London and North Eastern Railway, which operated electric suburban passenger services on the North Tyneside Loop – known as the Tyneside Electrics. The original neoclassical station building was joined by a covered concrete footbridge and waiting rooms in the late 1950s, all of which were frequent targets for vandals by the 1970s.
Following closure for conversion in the late 1970s, a number of alterations were made to the station, including the shortening of platforms, construction of a new footbridge with spiral ramps to improve wheelchair access, and installation of new signage and ticket machines.
After the initial conversion work, the station buildings remained largely unchanged until 1999, when extensive refurbishment work took place. A new ticket hall was added on the eastbound platforms, and related aesthetic changes were made to the original footbridge constructed by the London and North Eastern Railway. The 1940s station building on the westbound platforms of the station was also upgraded and refurbished.[2]
In 2001, Tag-Tile, an artwork designed by Rob Belilios and Simon Jones, was commissioned for the station.[3] The artwork was created with the involvement of local young people, in response to graffiti issues at the station. The station also features Journey's Echo, a collection of artwork created in collaboration with sixth form students from the nearby secondary school, which was commissioned in 1999.[4]
Facilities
Step-free access is available at all stations across the Tyne and Wear Metro network, with ramped access to platforms. Ramps also provide step-free access over the footbridge between platforms. The station is equipped with ticket machines, waiting shelter, seating, next train information displays, timetable posters, and an emergency help point on both platforms. Ticket machines are able to accept payment with credit and debit card (including contactless payment), notes and coins.[5][6] The station is also fitted with smartcard validators, which feature at all stations across the network.[7][8] A small newsagent's shop is housed within the station building, on the westbound platform (trains towards South Shields).
There is no dedicated car parking available at the station. There is the provision for cycle parking, with 5 cycle pods available for use.[9]
Service and frequency
Longbenton 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 South Shields, with the first train departing at 05:21 (05:29 on Saturday and 06:51 on Sunday). Services from platform 2 operate towards St. James via Whitley Bay, with the first train departing at 05:08 (05:27 on Saturday and 06:12 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.
Additional trains run during morning and evening peak hours (Monday to Friday) between Pelaw and Monkseaton. This provides up to 10 trains per hour through the station at peak times.[9]
Journey times from Longbenton are:
- 3 minutes to South Gosforth
- 10 minutes to Monument via South Gosforth
- 15 minutes to Whitley Bay
- 21 minutes to Pelaw via South Gosforth
- 32 minutes to Wallsend via Whitley Bay
- 38 minutes to South Shields via South Gosforth
- 44 minutes to St. James via Whitley Bay
See also
References
- "Tyne and Wear Metro usage figures 2017–2018". Retrieved 21 August 2019.
- "Disused Stations: Longbenton Station". Disused Stations. Retrieved 5 February 2014.
- "'Tag Tile' by Simon Jones & Rob Belilios". Nexus. Retrieved 5 February 2014.
- "'Journey's Echo' by Elinor Eastwood". Nexus. Retrieved 5 February 2014.
- "Metro passengers feel the benefit of contactless payment". Nexus. 13 January 2014. Retrieved 28 May 2020.
- "Revamp for Metro ticket machines". BBC News. 11 December 2011. Retrieved 28 May 2020.
- "City Metro stations get new smart ticket machines and gates". Nexus. 22 October 2012. Retrieved 28 May 2020.
- "Pop card validators at Metro stations are put through their paces". Nexus. 21 March 2013. Retrieved 28 May 2020.
- "Timetables and stations: Longbenton". Nexus. Retrieved 28 May 2020.
External links
- Local area map and onward connections for Longbenton
- Timetable and station information for Longbenton
Media related to Longbenton Metro station at Wikimedia Commons
Preceding station | Following station | |||
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towards St James | Yellow line | towards South Shields |