Regent Centre Interchange

The Regent Centre Interchange is a multimodal transport hub, serving the suburb of Gosforth in the English city of Newcastle upon Tyne. It includes a station on the Tyne and Wear Metro, a bus station and a multi-storey car park, and is adjacent to the Regent Centre business park. It was opened in 1981.

Regent Centre Interchange
Multimodal transport hub including Tyne and Wear Metro station
The interchange showing (from bottom to top) the metro station, bus station and multi-storey car park
General information
Location	Gosforth Newcastle upon Tyne England
Coordinates	55°00′43″N 1°37′18″W
Grid reference	NZ242686
Transit authority	Tyne and Wear PTE
Platforms	2
Tracks	2
Bus stands	5
Construction
Parking	183 spaces
Bicycle facilities	4 cycle lockers 5 cycle pods
Accessible	Step-free access to platform
Other information
Station code	RGC
Fare zone	B
History
Original company	Tyne and Wear Metro
Key dates
10 May 1981	Opened
Passengers
2017/18	0.71 million[1]
Services
Preceding station Tyne and Wear Metro Following station South Gosforth towards South Hylton Green Line Wansbeck Road towards Airport
Location Regent Centre Interchange Location in Newcastle upon Tyne Show map of Newcastle-upon-Tyne Regent Centre Interchange Location in Tyne and Wear Show map of Tyne and Wear

History

The interchange is located on the route of the former Gosforth and Ponteland Light Railway, which opened on 1 May 1905. West Gosforth station, which opened three months later with the introduction of passenger services on the line, was situated where the metro station's platforms are today. The line closed to passengers in June 1929, but remained open for freight traffic, including to and from the ICI Callerton explosives depot, situated between Callerton and Ponteland, and Rowntree's Fawdon factory, just west of Fawdon.^[2][3][4]

In the late 1970s the line through the site was restructured to form the second phase of the Tyne and Wear Metro, between South Gosforth and Bank Foot. The remains of the old West Gosforth station were demolished as part of this work, and the new interchange constructed. The interchange took its name from the adjacent Regent Centre business park that had been constructed in the years leading up to the conversion of the railway line to Metro.^[2][5]

The new metro line opened on 10 May 1981, along with the new station and interchange. Freight traffic to and from Rowntree's factory and ICI Callerton continued to pass through the station until they closed in July 1988 and March 1989 respectively. In 1991 the Metro line was extended from Bank Foot to Newcastle Airport.^[2]

Facilities

Regent Centre Interchange consists of a two platform station below street level, covered by the station concourse and bus station. A multi-storey car park is located above the platforms and concourse, with a tall canopy covering the entrance to the station building, extending across the bus station.

Step-free access is available at all stations across the Tyne and Wear Metro network, with two lifts providing step-free access to platforms. As part of the Metro: All Change programme, new lifts^[6] and escalators were installed at the station in 2013.^[7][8]

The station is equipped with ticket machines, 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.^[9][10] The station is also fitted with smartcard validators, which feature at all stations across the network.^[11][12] The station houses a newsagent's shop in the ticket hall.

There is a large pay and display car park available at the station, with 183 spaces, plus eight accessible spaces. There is also the provision for cycle parking, with four cycle lockers and five cycle pods available for use. A bus interchange is also available at the station, providing frequent connections in and around Newcastle upon Tyne, North Tyneside and Northumberland.^[13]

Services

As of October 2024^[update], 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. In the southbound direction, trains run to South Hylton via Newcastle and Sunderland. In the northbound direction, trains run to Newcastle Airport.^[14]

Rolling stock used: Class 599 Metrocar

Bus station

The bus station is located above the Tyne and Wear Metro station. It opened in May 1981, and similarly to Heworth and Four Lane Ends, was purpose-built for the Tyne and Wear Metro network.

Regent Centre Interchange is served by Arriva North East and Go North East's local bus services, with frequent routes serving Newcastle upon Tyne, North Tyneside and Northumberland. The bus station has five departure stands^[15] (lettered A–E). Each stand is fitted with seating, next bus information displays, and timetable posters.

As of October 2024^[update], the stand allocation is:

Stand	Route	Destination
A	49	Newcastle Great Park via Brunton Park
	553	Freeman Hospital via South Gosforth
	Q3	Brunton Park
	Q3X
B	43	Morpeth via Wideopen, Seaton Burn, Dudley, Cramlington , Bedlington, Nedderton, Hepscott Park & Stobhill
	44	Dinnington via Wideopen & Hazlerigg
	45	Dinnington via Wideopen & Brunswick Village
	X9	Blyth express via Beacon Hill, Cramlington , High Pit, Bebside & Cowpen
	X10	Blyth express via Cramlington , Parkside & Newsham
	X11
	X20	Alnwick express via North Seaton, Ashington , Wansbeck Hospital, Lynemouth, Ellington, Widdrington , Red Row, Hadston, Amble, Warkworth & Alnmouth
	X21	Woodhorn express via Nedderton, Bedlington, Stakeford, North Seaton, Ashington & Wansbeck Hospital
	X22	Ashington express via Bedlington, Guide Post, Wansbeck Estate, Stakeford & North Seaton
	X30	Bebside express via Newsham, Blyth & Cowpen
	X46	Newcastle Great Park express via Brunton Park
C	X14	Thropton express via Morpeth , Longhorsley, Longframlington, Cragside House[a] & Rothbury
	X15	Berwick-upon-Tweed express via Morpeth , Felton, Shilbottle, Alnwick, Warenford, Belford, Beal, Haggerston, Scremerston & Tweedmouth
	X16	Morpeth[b] express via Stannington
	X18	Berwick-upon-Tweed express via Morpeth , Pegswood , Widdrington , Red Row, Acklington, Broomhill, Amble, Alnmouth , Alnwick , Longhoughton, Craster, Embleton, Beadnell, Seahouses, Bamburgh, Waren Mill, Belford, Beal, Haggerston, Scremerston & Tweedmouth
D	No services operate from this stand
E	All services to Haymarket via Gosforth
	49	Eldon Square via Gosforth
	Q3	Wallsend via Gosforth, Jesmond , Newcastle , Quayside, Ouseburn, St Peter's Basin, Walker & Walkergate
	Q3X	Wallsend express via Gosforth, Newcastle , Quayside, Ouseburn, St Peter's Basin, Walker & Walkergate

Art

• A large mural features on the external wall of the station building. Created by Anthony Lowe, Metro Morning was commissioned in 1988, and depicts passengers travelling in a representation of a rush-hour train.^[16]
• Nic Armstrong's Have You Paid and Displayed? was commissioned in 2001, and features in the stairwell of the multi-storey car park. It depicts the everyday lives of the car park's users and Tyne and Wear Metro passengers, set amongst contrasting landscape images.^[17]
• Shepard Fairey's Obey mural features in the stairwell of the metro station. The mural depicts Chinese soldiers, one carrying a rifle with a rose in the barrel and a central white dove signifying peace.

Notes

1. Some journeys operate via Cragside House.
2. Some journeys continue to Kelso or Wooler via Longhorsley & Longframlington.