Heworth Interchange is a transport interchange located in Heworth, Gateshead, consisting of a National Rail station, Tyne and Wear Metro station, and a bus and coach station. It was opened in November 1979 for British Rail services, as a replacement for former stations at Felling and Pelaw, with Tyne and Wear Metro services commencing around two years later, in November 1981. In terms of facilities, Heworth Interchange has two car parks, providing a total of 463 spaces, as well as a taxi rank. Additionally, there is the provision for cycle parking, with 4 cycle lockers, and 25 cycle racks available. Within the Tyne and Wear Metro station building, there is a newsagent, coffee kiosk, cash machine, and an Amazon collection locker. The Metro station building was also home to a Nexus TravelShop, however this was closed in November 2014, along with those at Monument and Four Lane Ends.
Metro
Overview
The Tyne and Wear Metro station at Heworth opened in November 1981, following the network's extension from Haymarket to Heworth. Opening initially as a terminus station, trains reversed in the platforms, using the crossovers to the west of the station in passenger service. Reversals later took place at the new sidings at Pelaw, once they had been completed. In March 1984, the network was further extended to South Shields, with Heworth becoming a through station. A new station opened at Pelaw in September 1985 – almost six years after the closure of the British Rail station. An estimated 1,013,148 passenger journeys were made from the station during 2017–18, making it the eighth most-used station on the network. There are two art installations at Heworth. The first, South Tyne Eye Plan by Mike Clay, is located on the station concourse, and represents the area of Heworth and Felling between 1988 and 1990 in the form of a "continuous unwinding scroll". The second, Things Made by Jenny Cowern, is located on the south and west outer walls of the station building, and is made up of 29 large panels, each of which represent industries that have operated in the area, such as coal mining, glass making, textiles and shipbuilding.
Facilities
Step-free access is available at all stations across the Tyne and Wear Metro network, with two lifts providing step-free access to platforms at Heworth. As part of the Metro: All Change programme, new lifts were installed at Heworth in 2012, with new escalators installed in 2015. 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, notes and coins. The station is fitted with automatic ticket barriers, which were installed at 13 stations across the network during the early 2010s, as well as smartcard validators, which feature at all stations.
Service and frequency
Heworth is served by the, which operates between South Hylton and Airport, and the, which operates between South Shields and St. James. Services commence between 05:00 and 06:00, with frequent trains running across the network until around midnight. The and both operate up to every 12 minutes during the day, and up to every 15 minutes during the evening and on Sunday. This allows for a combined frequency of up to every 6 minutes, and up to every 7–8 minutes during the evening and on Sunday, between Pelaw and South Gosforth. Additional trains run during morning and evening peak hours between Pelaw and Regent Centre or Monkseaton, providing a peak time frequency of up to every 3 minutes between Pelaw and South Gosforth.
Bus
Heworth Bus Station opened in November 1979, along with the British Rail station. It is located above the four platforms, and bordered by Sunderland Road and the A184. It is served by Go North East's local bus services, with frequent routes serving Gateshead, as well as Newcastle upon Tyne, South Tyneside and Washington. The bus station has six departure stands, each of which is fitted with a waiting shelter, seating, next bus information displays, and timetable posters. The bus station was refurbished in November 2012 – at a cost of £200,000. , the stand allocation is:
Rail
Overview
Heworth is situated on the Durham Coast Line, which runs between Newcastle and Middlesbrough. Rail services from Heworth are operated byNorthern Trains. The British Rail station at Heworth opened in November 1979, coinciding with the closure of British Rail stations at Felling and Pelaw. Prior to the opening of the station, British Rail passenger trains ran on the southern pair of tracks, which are now used by the Tyne and Wear Metro. For a short period of time, trains ran through the completed Tyne and Wear Metro station platforms. National Rail services now operate separately from the Tyne and Wear Metro, prior to Pelaw Junction, where the line is shared through to Sunderland. A total of 22,588 passenger journeys were made from the station during 2018–19, ranking it the fourth-most used National Rail station in Tyne and Wear – after Newcastle, Sunderland and MetroCentre, and ahead of Blaydon, Dunston and Manors.
Facilities
The rail station at Heworth is unstaffed. Step free access is provided, with ramped access to both platforms. The station is equipped with ticket machines, seating, next train audio announcements, timetable posters, and an emergency help point on both platforms. Following the installation of ticket machines, the station is now part of the Northern Trains penalty fare network, meaning that a ticket, or "promise to pay" notice is required prior to boarding.
Service and frequency
Following the December 2019 timetable change, services generally operate at the listed frequency: Monday to Saturday:
An hourly service to,, and. Some trains continue to Whitby.
An hourly service to, and. For stations to, a change at is required.
Sunday:
An hourly service to,, and. Some trains continue to Whitby.
Services are operated by a fleet of Class 156 Super Sprinter and Class 158Express Sprinterdiesel multiple units, both of which were introduced in to service in the late 1980s. Rolling stock is currently in the process of being refurbished, with upgrades including free WiFi, power sockets, on-board passenger information displays, and an interior refresh. Class 142 Pacer trains also served the Durham Coast Line, until the turn of the new decade, when they were withdrawn from passenger service.
