Elton John fans in the North East only need to wait a matter of days before the singer comes to the region to play at the Stadium of Light this weekend.
The star will treat the Sunderland venue to his biggest hits from across the years, at one of more than 300 concerts worldwide that form his Farewell Yellow Brick Road tour. Tens of thousands of fans are expected to make their way to Wearside to see the legendary singer on Sunday 19 June.
With so many concert-goers heading to Sunderland, the Stadium and Sunderland City Council have released guidelines on the parking, drop-off and pick-up situation for drivers in the city, while Nexus has also given an update on Metro services. Here’s everything you need to know about getting to the gig.
READ MORE: Elton John in Sunderland: Are there any tickets left and how much do they cost?
Arriving by Metro
Nexus has announced that extra Metro services will be running on 19 June, with additional trains on the timetable before and after the gig. Concert-goers are advised to leave plenty of time to get to the Stadium, and Nexus suggests buying a £5.70 day ticket in advance if travelling by Metro to avoid having to queue up at ticket machines.
“This is another world class event for Sunderland, hot on the heels of the hugely successful Ed Sheeran concerts,” said Metro Operations Director John Alexander. “With any event of this scale there are going to be queues at stations afterwards.
“Our customer service teams will be working hard to get everyone on the move as fast as we can,” he added. “I thank customers for their patience in advance.”
Ticket-holders travelling by Metro should also check what type of ticket they have to see which station they should alight at. According to advice issued by the Stadium, those with purple, red or yellow entry tickets should get off at the Stadium of Light station.
Customers with platinum, blue, green and pink entry tickets should alight at St. Peter’s station. Nexus says that extra staff and queue management will be in place at both Metro stations.
Arriving by car or taxi
For concert-goers planning to drive or arrive by taxi, the main thing they need to be aware of is that there will be no public parking, pick-up or drop-off points available at the Stadium of Light. Parking around the venue will also be very limited - roads around the stadium will be closed to traffic on the day, and residential streets will have permit restrictions in place.
Visitors travelling from the North and West are advised to use the city’s Park & Walk scheme which runs from Sunderland Enterprise Park, accessible via the A1231 Wessington Way. There are several car parks in the city centre - the full list and prices can be found on the Sunderland City Council website .
According to the Council the key drop-off and pick-up point for car passengers is on Dame Dorothy Street, around a 15-minute walk away from the Stadium. Those travelling from the South are advised to take the A1018 and A690 exits from the A19 and drop people off in the city centre or on Dame Dorothy Street.
If you’re planning to come by taxi, the pre-concert taxi drop-off points will be on Wearmouth Street and Monk Street, both approximately a 10-minute walk from the Stadium. If you’re getting a taxi home post-concert pick-ups will only be taking place from the city centre, according to the Stadium website.
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