Travel advice given to North East commuters as Newcastle United return to Champions League action
Travel advice has been put in place ahead of a huge Newcastle United fixture this week.
Eddie Howe’s side welcome Portugese side Benfica to St James Park on the evening of Tuesday, and travel advice has been put in place for those planning to get around the city.
This will be the second Champions League game in the city this season following Newcastle United vs Barcelona at the start of the European campaign back in September.
A further two midweek games will be played when Newcastle host Athletic Club from Bilbao on Wednesday, November 5 and Dudtch side PSV on Wednesday, January 21.
Nexus has confirmed bus routes will be impacted by the fixture.
Blackett Street will be closed to all traffic between 5pm – 7.30pm, although it is thought the road will be reopened earlier if possible. Stagecoach bus services will divert via Newgate Street and Market Street.
There will also be a short closure on Percy Street (between Gallowgate and Eldon Square Bus Station) which may lead to some services being disrupted at short notice.
Nexus Operations Director, Kevin Storey, said: “Public transport, and Newcastle city centre in general, is likely to be very busy on Tuesday evening.
“Frequent Metro trains will be running before and after the game, and extra Customer Service staff will be in the city centre to help customers, but if you are heading to the game, please plan ahead and leave plenty of time for your journey.”
Newcastle City Council have also advised those travelling around the city to be aware of road closures.
In addition to the new closure system for all matchdays, southbound work on the Central Motorway will see the overnight closure delayed until 11pm.