Gateshead Network Management Plan

2.1 The borough of Gateshead is recognised for its architecture including The Glasshouse, the Angel of The North, and Gateshead Millennium Bridge and is located at the centre of the North East of England area known as Tyne and Wear. The borough has boundaries with Newcastle, South Tyneside, Durham, Northumberland, and Sunderland Councils.

2.2 The borough covers an area of 142 square kilometres and has a population of approximately 120,000. Gateshead has a variety of landscapes including urban in the town itself, Whickham and Blaydon in the East, with more semi-rural and rural locations in the West including Ryton and Rowlands Gill. 

2.3 Gateshead is key to regional transport network sitting almost at the centre of the region and providing strategic links to and from other networks of the region

2.4 There is a comprehensive bus network throughout the borough and two major transport interchanges at Heworth and Gateshead town centre.

2.5 The borough also forms an important part of the national and regional cycle network with national routes NCN 14, 141, 725 and Regional route 11. It also has important local cycle routes linking to Newcastle, South Tyneside, Northumberland, Sunderland and Durham.

2.6 The Tyne and Wear metro rapid transit system provides links to the surrounding authorities and has five stations of which two are bus interchanges while Heworth links to heavy rail services.

2.7 While Gateshead doesn't have a railway station on the East coast line it does have important local railway stations in the West of the borough including the Metrocentre and Blaydon.