Ilford Road is a station on the Tyne and Wear Metro, serving Jesmond and Gosforth in Newcastle upon Tyne. The station joined the network in August 1980, following the opening of the line between Haymarket and Tynemouth – the first stage of the network to open. Unlike nearby South Gosforth and West Jesmond, the station, which were converted from British Rail stations, Ilford Road was purpose-built for the network. It was the "typical Metro halt" used in publicity when the system first opened. When other stations were being repainted red, green or blue in the early 2000s, Ilford Road was repainted in original brown, with much of the unpainted concrete being painted cream. The station is unique, in that it does not provide any means for passengers to cross from one platform to the other. Passengers must instead use the nearby Moorfield Road bridge to cross the line. The station platforms at Ilford Road cross the 55° northline of latitude – this also occurring on the network to the east of the station at Percy Main. Ilford Road was used by 323,384 passengers in 2017–18.
Facilities
Step-free access is available at all stations across the Tyne and WearMetro network, with ramped access to platforms at Ilford Road. Between platforms, step-free access is by the road bridge on Moorfield Road, around south of the station. 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, notes and coins. The station is also fitted with smartcard validators, which feature at all stations across the network. There is no dedicatedcar parking available at this station. There is the provision for cycle parking, with 2 cycle pods available for use.
Service and frequency
Ilford Road is served by the, which operates between South Hylton and Airport, with an end-to-end journey time of 64 minutes, and the, which operates between South Shields and St. James, with an end-to-end journey time of 83 minutes. Services from platform 1 operate towards South Hylton and South Shields, with the first trains departing at 05:09 and 05:02. Services from platform 2 operate towards Airport and St. James via Whitley Bay, with the first trains departing at 06:03 and 05:54. Trains run frequently across the network, at intervals of up to every 12 minutes, and every 15 minutes, with the last trains departing at around midnight. Combined, trains run at intervals of up to every 6 minutes, and every 7–8 minutes between Pelaw and South Gosforth. Additional trains run during morning and evening peak hours between Pelaw and Regent Centre or Monkseaton. This provides up a train up to every 3 minutes through the station at peak times. Journey times from Ilford Road are:
