Byker Metro station explained

Byker
Style:Tyne and Wear Metro
Type:Tyne and Wear Metro station
Address:Byker, Newcastle upon Tyne
Country:England
Coordinates:54.976°N -1.5803°W
Map Type:United Kingdom Newcastle-upon-Tyne#Tyne and Wear
Grid Name:Grid reference
Transit Authority:Tyne and Wear PTE
Platform:2
Tracks:2
Zone:A
Bicycle:3 Sheffield stands
Accessible:Step-free access to platform
Original:Tyne and Wear Metro
Years:14 November 1982
Events:Opened
Passengers:0.32 million[1]
Pass Year:2017/18
Code:BYK

Byker is a Tyne and Wear Metro station, serving the suburb of Byker, Newcastle upon Tyne in Tyne and Wear, England. It joined the network on 14 November 1982, following the opening of the fourth phase of the network, between Tynemouth and St James via Wallsend.

History

Prior to the construction of the Tyne and Wear Metro, there was a British Rail station at Byker, which was located to the north of Shields Road. The station closed to passengers in 1954, with the remainder of the Riverside Branch closing to passengers in July 1973.[2]

Heading west from the station, the route crosses the 815m (2,674feet) Byker Viaduct over the Ouseburn Valley, then running alongside the East Coast Main Line, before heading underground, to Manors. The S-shaped viaduct was constructed for the Tyne and Wear Metro by Ove Arup, with work on the structure commencing in 1976, with completion in 1979.[3] [4]

In 2021, a montage was added with works from the Baltic Centre for Contemporary Art.[5]

Facilities

Step-free access is available at all stations across the Tyne and Wear Metro network, with ramps providing step-free access to platforms at Byker. The station is equipped with ticket machines, a sheltered waiting area, 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.[6] [7] The station is fitted with automatic ticket barriers, which were installed at 13 stations across the network during the early 2010s, as well as smartcard validators, which feature at all stations.[8] [9]

There is no dedicated car parking available at the station. There is the provision for cycle parking, with three cycle racks available for use.[10]

Services

, the station is served by up to five trains per hour on weekdays and Saturday, and up to four trains per hour during the evening and on Sunday.[11]

Rolling stock used: Class 599 Metrocar

External links

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Tyne and Wear Metro usage figures 2017–18. . 6 November 2018 . 21 August 2019 .
  2. Web site: Byker Station. Disused Stations. 2020-03-23.
  3. Smyth. W.. December 1977. Byker Viaduct. The Arup Journal. 12. 4. 24–27.
  4. Web site: Bridging the gap at Byker: How Metro, road and rail crosses the Ouseburn Valley. Morton. David. 2017-02-24. ChronicleLive. 2020-03-22.
  5. Web site: Holden. Alan. 2021-06-27. Byker Metro station hosts artwork from BALTIC. live. 2021-06-29. RailAdvent. en-GB. https://web.archive.org/web/20210627132617/https://www.railadvent.co.uk/2021/06/byker-metro-station-hosts-artwork-from-baltic.html . 27 June 2021 .
  6. Web site: Metro passengers feel the benefit of contactless payment. 13 January 2014. Nexus. en. 24 May 2020.
  7. News: 2011-12-11. Revamp for Metro ticket machines. en-GB. BBC News. 24 May 2020.
  8. Web site: City Metro stations get new smart ticket machines and gates. 22 October 2012. Nexus. en. 24 May 2020.
  9. Web site: Pop card validators at Metro stations are put through their paces. 21 March 2013. Nexus. en. 24 May 2020.
  10. Web site: Timetables and stations: Byker. Nexus. en. 24 May 2020.
  11. Web site: Timetables and stations: Byker. live. 30 March 2021. Tyne and Wear Passenger Transport Executive. en. https://web.archive.org/web/20200323011142/https://www.nexus.org.uk/metro/timetables-and-stations/byker . 23 March 2020 .