90,000 passengers were carried on the Tyne and Wear Metro on Sunday 8th September as visitors flocked towards the annual Great North Run, over a weekend which also saw international Rugby Union come to St James’ Park and the Tour of Britain take place in a bumper period of sport for the region. This passenger figure was more than seen in 2018 and showed how crucial the Metro is to the public transport offering in the region.
Tobyn Hughes, Managing Director of Nexus, said: “The Great North Run was once again a fantastic day for Metro and the whole region. We carried more than 91,000 passengers and we’ve seen excellent ticket sales – Metro is a public service operated without a profit, so this all helps meet the cost of supporting the event. The last few days have showcased much that is good about the Tyne and Wear Metro as a mass transport system. Many months of meticulous planning has paid off. It was amazing to see so many thousands using our services, with very positive feedback from runners and spectators. It was a brilliant atmosphere and people had a fantastic day. The Great North Run puts the eyes of the world on our region and there’s nothing quite like it. It’s one of the best mass participation events in the world. We’re already planning for 2020, when the Great North Run and Tyne and Wear Metro will both be celebrating our 40th anniversaries.”
Trains ran every seven and a half minutes from South Shields – the all new transport interchange in its first big test – with 400 staff on duty to ensure everyone got where they needed to both before and following the high profile event.