Pink in Sunderland vs Sam Fender in Newcastle: Transport advice issued as stadium gigs set for rival cities

Fans are being urged to help avoid a transport headache and plan ahead as both Pink and Sam Fender prepare for stadium gigs in the North East.

Pink will perform two dates at the Stadium of Light in Sunderland on June 10 and 11, while Sam Fender is performing two sold-out concerts at St James’ Park in Newcastle on June 9 and 10.

The overlapping dates do mean fans could see both artists on different nights if they wished – but the clash on Saturday, June 10, means public transport is likely to be very busy, and people are being asked to make plans in advance.

And all passengers are being advised to allow extra time to travel on all three days.

On concert days transport services will be a lot busier than usual as concert goers head to and from the events.

Queuing systems may be in place at Metro stations and some stations may be closed early or made exit only. 

Nexus, the public body which oversees the Metro and other public transport in Tyne and Wear, said it has a ‘detailed plan in place to manage extra demand’.

Boss say extra bus and Metro services will be running, but it is vital that customers plan ahead to get to and from the respective concerts using public transport.

Showcasing the North East

Huw Lewis, customer services director, said: “The fact that North East England is staging four sell-out stadium concerts in a single weekend will really showcase our region as a home for international cultural and sporting events.

 “Public transport and the roads are going to be really busy before and after every concert, but particularly on Saturday 10 June when Sam Fender and Pink are playing at the same time.

 “People need to plan ahead if they are going to any of the concerts – or if they think they might be making journeys around those times. 

“Bus and Metro changes each night depending whether the event is in Newcastle, Sunderland or both but all the information you need about bus and Metro can be found at www.nexus.org.uk/concerts .

 “On the Saturday night fans leaving the Sam Fender concert will be able to use a combination of Metro and bus services extended beyond midnight to get people home to destinations in and around Newcastle. 

“The concert ticket sales data tells us a large part of the audience is local and we’ve tried to match that as far as we can. 

“The same night in Sunderland we’ll be providing late Metro trains aimed at getting thousands of visitors to our region back to hotels in Newcastle, as well as getting local people home across the network.

 “In both cities some Metro stations will be closed just before the concerts end so that we can manage the huge numbers we expect safely and comfortably at the remaining stations, to make sure trains keep running smoothly without getting delayed at overcrowded platforms.

“Where stations are closed customers will be directed to the nearest alternative station, where we will have customer service teams managing crowd control, or on to fast and frequent shuttle buses leaving Newcastle city centre.

 “The bus companies are providing more than 50 buses and drivers which means that as well as serving interchanges and town centres on Metro they will be going on to places including Cramlington and Low Fell which Metro does not reach. 

“Customers will be able to travel on both Metro and shuttle buses with the same return or day tickets to make things as simple as possible at the end of what promises to be a great Saturday night.”