Benton Metro station


Benton is a station on the Tyne and Wear Metro, serving Benton and Forest Hall in North Tyneside. The station joined the network in August 1980, following the opening of the line between Haymarket and Tynemouth – the first stage of the network to open.
The station originally opened in March 1871, under the North Eastern Railway. Following closure for conversion in the late 1970s, the original station building on the westbound platform was retained – now serving a residential use.
Prior to the network's extension to Wearside in March 2002, Benton was a terminus station of the former, which operated between Pelaw and Benton. The station still serves as a terminus for trains from Pelaw during peak hours. However, following the opening of Northumberland Park in December 2005, many of these trains now continue to Monkseaton.
The station was used by 348,120 passengers in 2017–18.

Facilities

Step-free access is available at all stations across the Tyne and Wear Metro network, with ramped access to platforms. Two lifts, which were installed in 2011, provide step-free access over the footbridge between platforms. The station is equipped with ticket machines, waiting shelter, 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, notes and coins. The station is also fitted with smartcard validators, which feature at all stations across the network.
A small free car park is available, with 10 spaces, plus 2 accessible spaces. There is also the provision for cycle parking, with 5 cycle pods available for use.

Service and frequency

Benton is served by the, which operates between South Shields and St. James with an end-to-end journey time of 83 minutes.
Services from platform 1 operate towards South Shields, with the first train departing at 05:18. Services from platform 2 operate towards St. James via Whitley Bay, with the first train departing at 05:11. Trains run frequently across the network, at intervals of up to every 12 minutes, and every 15 minutes, with the last trains departing at around midnight.
Additional trains run during morning and evening peak hours between Pelaw and Monkseaton. This provides up to 10 trains per hour through the station at peak times.
Journey times from Benton are: