The Tyne and Wear Metro has announced that it will be running additional and late evening services for Ed Sheeran fans travelling to St James’ Park for the concerts this week.
Extra Metro trains are scheduled to help concert goers as they make their way to and from Newcastle to see the multi-platinum singer-songwriter, responsible for hits including Shape of You, Perfect and Thinking Out Loud.
The additional services include extended services system wide for an extra hour after the concerts on Friday, Saturday, Sunday, June 8-10. Additional services will also be running before the concerts on Saturday and Sunday, providing a higher frequency of service during what will be a busy weekend.
People going to St James’ Park should use any one of four stations near the ground; Haymarket, Monument, Central and St James both before and after the concert.
After the concerts end the city centre Metro stations will be busy. Some station entrances will be closed and queuing systems in place for safety reasons at Haymarket and Monument. Listen out for station announcements and guidance as staff get customers onto trains safely and as quickly as possible.
On Saturday, from 5pm until 7pm, passengers arriving at Monument station will be greeted by North East busker Andre Lemaitre. Ed Sheeran fans will be able to warm their vocal chords by singing along to his chart topping hits as well as a selection of classic anthems including The Killers’ Mr Brightside, Oasis’ Wonderwall and many more.
During his set Andre will collect donations for Metro’s chosen charity of the year, Mind. The mental health charity provides advice and support to empower anyone experiencing a mental health problem and campaign to improve services, raise awareness and promote understanding.
Metro Services Director, Chris Carson, said: “It is fantastic that Newcastle will be welcoming Ed Sheeran this week to play three dates at St James’ Park and we are proud to play a part in such a big event.
“I would advise concert goers to leave plenty of time for their journey as trains will be very busy and to purchase a Day Ticket, which is valid for the whole day, to avoid queuing at ticket machines after the concerts.
“We will have lots of staff on hand at stations in the city centre who will be able to provide advice and assistance to ensure fans get home as quickly and safely as possible. I hope the extra and extended Metro services will help make life easier for our passengers and allow them to make the most of their experience seeing Ed Sheeran.”
For help planning your journey call 0191 2020 747 (lines are open Monday – Friday from 8am until 6pm) or use the Live Travel Map at nexus.org.uk.
For regular travel updates regarding Tyne and Wear Metro follow @My_Metro on Twitter, find Metro on Facebook atwww.facebook.com/mymetrotw, call Nexus on 0191 20 20 747 or visit www.nexus.org.uk/metro