Regent Centre Interchange

Regent Centre
Tyne and Wear Metro
Regent Centre Interchange. The Metro station entrance is under the yellow sign in the background
Location
Place	Gosforth
Local authority	Newcastle
Fare zone information
Network One zone	2
Metro zone	B
Original (1979) zone	17
Station code	RGC
Operations
Platforms	2
Escalators	2 both 'up' escalators
History
Opened	10 May 1981
List of stations

Regent Centre Interchange serves the Regent Centre business park in the Gosforth area of Newcastle upon Tyne, England. The transport interchange consists of a station on the Tyne and Wear Metro network's Green line, a well-served bus station and a 183 space car park.^[1] It is heavily used by Regent Centre office workers and the students of the nearby Middle Schools and Academy, as well as shoppers using the nearby Asda store and Gosforth High Street.

History

The Interchange's location just west of the Great North Road through Gosforth was originally occupied by West Gosforth station, located on the Ponteland and Darras Hall Branch of the North Eastern Railway. Consisting of two side platforms, a simple pitched roof station building and a signal box, West Gosforth station opened on 1 June 1905, but closed to passengers on 17 June 1929 due to lower than expected passenger numbers and competition from bus services; goods services to the station continued until 14 August 1967.^[2][3]

What remained of West Gosforth station was demolished to make way for Regent Centre Interchange on the same site, and Metro services through Regent Centre commenced on 10 May 1981.^[2] The Interchange consists of a two platform station below street level covered by the station concourse, car park and bus station access road. A tall canopy covers the Metro station entrance and extends across the access road.

Apart from the removal of long-deactivated ticket barriers (and the installation of Pop Card validators) in the early 2010s, very few changes have been made to the station since its opening, and as such the interior remains very similar to Four Lane Ends, Jesmond and Heworth Metro stations.

Regent Centre was one of several Metro stations where classical music was played in an attempt to reduce incidents of anti-social behaviour.^[4] Although studies by operator Nexus showed that fewer young people loitered at these stations (one of the goals of the project), the initiative was eventually discontinued.

Services

The entrance to the Metro station, showing part of the Metro Morning mural and the tall canopy covering the entrance and access road

The interchange provides a 183 space car park as well as bus and metro train services allowing for a park and ride service.^[5]

Metro

Trains on the Green line towards South Hylton via Newcastle city centre (eastbound) and Airport station (westbound) serve the station roughly every 12 minutes throughout the day, and every 15 minutes on Sundays. However, up to eleven trains an hour in each direction serve the station during the morning and evening rush hours.^[1]

Some Metro services terminate at Regent Centre due to its proximity to the Metro depot, which is located between Regent Centre and South Gosforth. There is a siding to the west of the station used by trains to reverse, allowing them to begin a new eastbound journey or return empty to the depot.

The Regent Centre metro station is a sub surface station, with the platforms built underneath a busy road. However the ticket office is above ground and can be reached by going up a small set of stairs.

Bus

Regent Centre Interchange has regular local and regional bus services through Newcastle City Centre and its surrounding metropolitan areas, as well as services to towns in Northumberland.

Station artwork

The station exterior features a mural called Metro Morning created by Anthony Lowe, which was commissioned in 1988.^[6] It depicts passengers travelling in a representation of a Metro car.

The car park stairwell also features a mural called Have You Paid and Displayed? created by Nic Armstrong in 2001. It depicts the everyday lives of the car park's users and Metro passengers, set amongst contrasting landscape images.^[7]

See also

• Regent Centre, the business park adjacent to the station

References

1. "Regent Centre - Nexus". Nexus. Retrieved 10 March 2014.
2. "Disused Stations - West Gosforth Station". Disused Stations. Retrieved 10 March 2014.
3. "West Gosforth Station". Northumbrian Railways. Retrieved 10 March 2014.
4. "Nexus welcomes classical music at Stanley Bus Station" (Press release). Nexus. 23 December 2005. Archived from the original on 2 June 2008. Retrieved 11 March 2014.
5. "Park and Ride". Newcastle City Council. Retrieved 4 April 2015.
6. "'Metro Morning' by Anthony Lowe - Nexus". Nexus. Retrieved 10 March 2014.
7. "'Have you Paid and Displayed' by Nic Armstrong - Nexus". Nexus. Retrieved 10 March 2014.

External links

• Discussion on Murals including Regent Centre's Metro Mural from the Tiles and Architectural Ceramics Society
• Images of Regent Centre station during construction in 1978 at Newcastle University's SINE project

Coordinates: 55°00′43″N 1°37′17″W / 55.0119°N 1.6215°W