Park Lane Interchange is a multimodal transport hub, serving the port city of Sunderland in Tyne and Wear, England. It is located on the site of the former Park Lane Bus Station, which dated from the 1930s. The Interchange's Bus Station opened in May 1999, followed by the Metro station on 28 April 2002, after the opening of the extension from Pelaw to South Hylton.
Park Lane Interchange   | |||||||||||
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| General information | |||||||||||
| Location | Park Lane, Sunderland, SR1 City of Sunderland England | ||||||||||
| Coordinates | 54°54′08″N 1°23′05″W / 54.9023°N 1.3846°W | ||||||||||
| OS Grid ref | NZ 395 565 | ||||||||||
| System | Multimodal transport hub including Tyne and Wear Metro station | ||||||||||
| Owned by | Nexus | ||||||||||
| Line | Green line | ||||||||||
| Platforms | 2 | ||||||||||
| Tracks | 2 | ||||||||||
| Bus stands | 21 | ||||||||||
| Bus operators | |||||||||||
| Construction | |||||||||||
| Cycle facilities | 12 cycle pods, with space for 24 bikes[1] | ||||||||||
| Accessible | Step-free access throughout, with lifts from street-level to platforms and level-boarding to Class 555 trains | ||||||||||
| Other information | |||||||||||
| Station code | PLI | ||||||||||
| Fare zone | C | ||||||||||
| History | |||||||||||
| Original company | Tyne and Wear Metro | ||||||||||
| Key dates | |||||||||||
| March 1999 | Bus station opened | ||||||||||
| 28 April 2002 | Metro station opened[note 1] | ||||||||||
| Passengers | |||||||||||
| 2024/25 |  748,565 (Tyne and Wear Metro) | ||||||||||
| Services | |||||||||||
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History
editThe Metro station is located below Park Lane bus station, which opened in May 1999, as a replacement for the former Park Lane Bus Station and Sunderland Central Bus Station.
Along with other stations on the line between Fellgate and South Hylton, the station is fitted with vitreous enamel panels designed by artist, Morag Morrison. Each station uses a different arrangement of colours, with strong colours used in platform shelters and ticketing areas, and a more neutral palette for external elements.[3]
Facilities
editThe interchange houses a newsagent, a coffee shop, a bakery and Amazon collection lockers.
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 Park Lane.
The interchange is equipped with ticket machines, which accept payment by credit and debit cards (including contactless payment), notes and coins.[4][5] The interchange is also fitted with smartcard validators, which feature at all stations across the network.[6][7]
A pay and display car park (operated by Sunderland City Council) is available, with 630 spaces, as well as a taxi rank. There is also the provision for cycle parking, with twelve cycle pods available.[1]
Metro Services
editAs of June 2026[update], 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 Sundays.[1] In the westbound direction, trains run to South Hylton via Park Lane Interchange. In the northbound direction, trains run to Newcastle Airport via Gateshead and Newcastle City Centre.[1][note 2]
The Metro station was used by 748,565 passengers in 2024/25,[2] slightly lower than the pre-pandemic figure of 778,365 in 2018/19.[2]
Bus services
editThe Bus Station opened in May 1999, as a replacement for Sunderland's two previous city centre bus stations, Central Bus Station and Park Lane Bus Station.
It is served by Arriva North East and Go North East's local bus services,[8] with frequent routes serving Sunderland and South Tyneside, as well as County Durham, Gateshead, Newcastle upon Tyne and Teesside. The bus station has 19 departure stands (lettered A–V), with an additional two stands used by long-distance coach services. Each stand is fitted with a waiting shelter, seating, next bus information displays, and timetable posters.
Notes
edit- ↑ The Metro station's opening was delayed, owing to the late delivery of wall panels.
- ↑ From the opening of the Sunderland extension in March 2002, the Yellow line ran from St James to South Hylton. In December 2005, the southern branches were swapped, with the Yellow line running to South Shields instead of the Green line, which then operated between Newcastle Airport and South Hylton
References
edit- 1 2 3 4 "Park Lane". Metro. Nexus. Retrieved 7 June 2026.
- 1 2 3 Nexus (25 February 2026). "Passenger Numbers". WhatDoTheyKnow. Letter to Rhys Williams. Retrieved 19 May 2026.
- ↑ "'Station Colours' by Morag Morrison". Art on transport. Nexus. Retrieved 7 June 2026.
- ↑ "Metro passengers feel the benefit of contactless payment". Nexus (Press release). 13 January 2014. Retrieved 24 May 2026.
- ↑ "Revamp for Metro ticket machines". BBC News. BBC. 11 December 2011. Retrieved 24 May 2026.
- ↑ "City Metro stations get new smart ticket machines and gates". Nexus (Press release). 22 October 2012. Retrieved 24 May 2026.
- ↑ "Pop card validators at Metro stations are put through their paces". Nexus (Press release). 21 March 2013. Retrieved 24 May 2026.
- ↑ "Park Lane Interchange" (PDF). Buses. Nexus. Retrieved 7 June 2026.
External links
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