Longbenton railway station

Longbenton
The main (southern) entrance to the station on Lealholm Road in Newcastle.
General information
Location	Lealholm Road, Longbenton, Newcastle upon Tyne / North Tyneside NE7 England
Coordinates	55°00′32″N 1°35′30″W / 55.0089°N 1.5916°W / 55.0089; -1.5916
OS Grid ref	NZ 262 683
Elevation	57 m (187 ft)
System	Tyne and Wear Metro
Owned by	Nexus
Line	Yellow line
Platforms	2
Tracks	2
Construction
Structure type	Surface level
Cycle facilities	5 cycle pods[1]
Accessible	Step-free access throughout, with level-boarding to trains
Architectural style	Neoclassical
Other information
Status	Staffed intermittently[1]
Station code	LBN
Fare zone	B
History
Original company	London and North Eastern Railway
Post-grouping	British Rail (North Eastern Region) British Rail (Eastern Region)
Key dates
14 July 1947	Opened by LNER
23 January 1978	Closed for Metro conversion
11 August 1980	Re-opened as a Metro station
Passengers
2020/21	249,034
2021/22	622,317
2022/23	932,472
2023/24	847,663
2024/25	914,340
Services
Preceding station Tyne and Wear Metro Following station South Gosforth towards South Shields Yellow line Four Lane Ends towards St James via Whitley Bay
Location Longbenton Location in Tyne and Wear, England
Notes Passenger statistics from Nexus.[2]

Longbenton Metro station is a Tyne and Wear Metro station, and former British Rail station, in the English metropolitan county of Tyne and Wear. It was originally opened on 14 July 1947 by the London and North Eastern Railway, and after conversion work, re-opened as part of phase 1 of the Metro network on 11 August 1980.

The railway at this point forms the boundary between the city of Newcastle upon Tyne and the borough of North Tyneside, with the southern entrance to the station in Newcastle and the northern entrance in North Tyneside. The station serves the government offices at Benton Park View and the Freeman Hospital, both in Newcastle, and the North Tyneside suburb of Longbenton.

History

The line through Longbenton was opened in 1864 by the Blyth and Tyne Railway, but no station was provided at this location. An earlier station, variously named Benton, Long Benton and Longbenton, was located on the site of today's Four Lane Ends Interchange. That station opened with the line in 1864 and closed in 1871, when it was replaced by the current Benton station.^[3]

By the mid-1940s, the line was part of the London and North Eastern Railway's North Tyneside Loop, carrying a 600 V DC third rail electric service known as the Tyneside Electrics. At the time, the government was planning the construction of new offices for the Ministry of National Insurance in the area and requested that a new station be provided to improve access.^[4]

The station was opened on 14 July 1947. The original station building was constructed in dull red brick to the neoclassical style, described by railway architecture historian, Bill Fawcett, to have been influenced by Charles Holden's station designs for the London Underground.^[4] At first, there was no entrance on the northern side, access to that platform was gained via the level crossing on Vicar's Lane.^[4] It wasn't until the Longbenton Estate began construction in the mid-1950s that an entrance was added on the northern side. It was joined by a covered concrete footbridge and waiting rooms in about 1958,^[4] all of which were frequent targets for vandals by the 1970s.^[4][5]

Following closure for conversion to the Tyne and Wear Metro on 23 January 1978, a number of alterations were made to the station, including the shortening of platforms, construction of a new footbridge with spiral ramps to improve accessibility, and installation of new signage and ticket machines. It re-opened on 11 August 1980, as part of the first phase of the Metro network between Haymarket and Tynemouth via Four Lane Ends.^[4][5]

After the initial conversion work, the station buildings remained largely unchanged until 1999, when extensive refurbishment work took place. A new ticket hall was added on the eastbound platforms, and related aesthetic changes were made to the original footbridge. The 1940s station building on the westbound platforms of the station was also upgraded and refurbished.^[4][5]

The station was used by 914,340 passengers in 2024/25,^[2] considerably lower than the pre-pandemic figure of 1.39 million in 2019/20.^[2]

Facilities

The station has two side platforms, with separate step-free access to both. The westbound platform has level access from Lealholm Road, whilst the eastbound platform is accessed by a footpath and ramp from Chesters Avenue. There is a stepped footbridge between the platforms within the station, and an external ramped footbridge at the eastern end. There is no dedicated car parking available at the station. There is provision for cycle parking, with five cycle pods on the north side of the station.^[1]

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 (including contactless payment), notes and coins.^[6][7] The station is also fitted with smartcard validators, which feature at all stations across the network.^[8][9]

A small newsagent's shop is housed within the station building, on platform 1 (trains towards South Shields).^[1][10]

Artwork

Longbenton station features two installations from Metro's 'Art on Transport' programme.

In 1999, Journey's Echo, a collection of artwork created in collaboration with sixth-form students from the nearby St Mary's School.^[5][11][12]

The station is also home to Tag-Tile, an artwork commissioned in 2001, designed by Rob Belilios and Simon Jones.^[13] It was created with the involvement of local young people, in response to graffiti issues at the station.^[14]

Services

As of May 2025, the station is served by up to five trains per hour  – in each direction  – on weekdays and Saturdays, and up to four trains per hour during the evening and on Sunday. In the eastbound direction, trains run to St James via Whitley Bay and Wallsend. In the westbound direction, trains run to South Shields via Newcastle City Centre and Gateshead.^[1]

References

External links

• Timetable and station information for Longbenton]
• Map of the local area, showing bus stop locations