# South Gosforth Metro station

South Gosforth is a Tyne and Wear Metro station, and former British Rail station, serving the suburb of Gosforth, Newcastle upon Tyne in Tyne and Wear, England. It originally opened on 27 June 1864 , as part of the Blyth and Tyne Railway, and became part of the Tyne and Wear Metro on 11 August 1980. Above the station platform is a control centre for the signals and an office are for the Tyne and Wear metro.

## History

The station was opened as Gosforth on 27 June 1864 by the Blyth and Tyne Railway, and it was acquired by the North Eastern Railway (NER) in 1874, along with the rest of the Blythe and Tyne Railway. The station had two side platforms, with entrances on both and linked by an NER style iron footbridge. The principal buildings were on the west side, together with a waiting room and second ticket office on the east side. A station master's house stood to the south of the principal building, and all the buildings were in red brick.
By the summer of 1896 the station had an irregular weekday service of a dozen steam trains a day, operating a near circular route from Newcastle Central to Newcastle New Bridge Street via the coast. A further nine trains a day between New Bridge Street and the northern end of the Blyth and Tyne called at South Gosforth. Fewer services operated at the weekend.
The line through the station was electrified, using the third rail system, and on 29 March 1904 a frequent electric service was initiated. Initially electric trains operated only from New Bridge Street to Benton station, but in stages electrification was extended and a new link into Newcastle Central built, so that by 1909 services could run from Newcastle Central to Newcastle Central via the coast and Gosforth, thus creating the North Tyneside Loop.
Gosforth was renamed South Gosforth on 1 March 1905, after the opening of the nearby West Gosforth on the Gosforth and Ponteland Light Railway. From then until that line closed to passengers on 17 June 1929, South Gosforth served as the terminus of trains on the Ponteland line, which left the Blythe and Tyne line just north of the station. Branch trains, which remained steam hauled, were stabled on a loop line to the south-east of the station between services.
In 1967 the third rail electrification was phased out, with the last electric train running on 17 June 1967. The replacement diesel trains provided a slower and less frequent service, and this loss was one of the driving factors for the eventual establishment of the Tyne and Wear Metro.
The station closed on 23 January 1978 for conversion to the new system. Unlike most of the repurposed stations, this involved the demolition of all the existing buildings, with the exception of the footbridge, and the construction of a substantial new building on the western side of the station to house the Metro's control centre. The station reopened as part of the Tyne and Wear Metro on 11 August 1980, following the opening of the first phase of the network, between Haymarket and Tynemouth via Four Lane Ends.

## Facilities

The station has two side platforms, and step-free access is available to both platforms via ramps from Station Road, which crosses above the northern end of the station and also provides step-free access between the platforms. The platforms are additionally connected by the original footbridge; a similar footbridge removed from Percy Main has since been preserved by the National Railway Museum in York.
There is no dedicated car parking available at the station. There is provision for cycle parking, with five cycle pods available for use. The station is equipped with ticket machines, a waiting shelter, seating, next train information displays, timetable posters, and an emergency help point on both platforms.
The ticket machines are able to accept payment with credit and debit cards (including contactless payment), notes and coins. The station is also fitted with smartcard validators, which feature at all stations across the network.
The station houses the Metro Control Centre. It is responsible for operating the network's signalling and electrical supply, as well as being used to communicate with train drivers and other staff, using two-way radio equipment. The station is located near to the South Gosforth Traction Maintenance Depot, which maintains the metro's train fleet and is located between stations at South Gosforth, Longbenton and Regent Centre.

## Services

As of September 2024, the station is served by up to ten trains per hour per direction on weekdays and Saturday, and up to eight trains per hour during the evening and on Sunday. In the northbound direction, half the trains run to Airport and half to St James via Whitley Bay. In the southbound direction, half the trains run to South Shields and half to South Hylton via Sunderland.
Rolling stock used: Class 599 Metrocar