Jesmond, Manors and Chichester close for crowd control on Sunday 13 September, Haymarket is exit only until 10.40am, and A19 slip roads shut at Lindisfarne.

Four Metro stations will close or restrict entry on Sunday 13 September for the Great North Run, and the A19’s exit slip roads at Lindisfarne Interchange will shut from 9am until the end of the day.

Nexus, which runs the Metro, calls the run the busiest day of the year for the system, with thousands of runners and spectators travelling to the start in Newcastle and the finish in South Shields. Extra trains will run, but Nexus warns that services will still be extremely busy and that queues should be expected.

The station closures, as published by the operator

Nexus lists these temporary closures for crowd control on its Travel North East updates page:

  • Haymarket: exit only, no entry, from 8.00am until 10.40am. Use Jesmond.
  • Jesmond: closed from 10.30am until early afternoon. Use Haymarket or Monument.
  • Manors: closed from 10.30am until early afternoon. Use Haymarket.
  • Chichester: closed from about 1.00pm until early evening. Use South Shields.

Nexus says the times may vary on the day depending on operational requirements. No coast line station between Tynemouth and Whitley Bay is on the closure list.

Great North Run day: what shuts when Sunday 13 September 2026. Bars show published closure windows. 8am 12pm 4pm 8pm Haymarket (exit only) 8.00 to 10.40am A19 Lindisfarne slips 9.00am to 11.59pm Jesmond and Manors 10.30am to early afternoon Chichester about 1pm to early evening Source: Travel North East updates and National Highways closure report, September 2026. Graphic by Whitley Bay News.
Graphic by Whitley Bay News

Getting to the start and the finish

The run starts in Newcastle city centre and finishes in South Shields. This year is the event’s 45th, according to the organiser.

Nexus advises:

  • The nearest stations to the start are Haymarket, Monument and Jesmond, around a 15 to 20 minute walk from the start line.
  • The nearest station to the finish is South Shields, about a 15 minute walk.
  • Buy tickets in advance to avoid machine queues. Up to three children aged 11 and under travel free on Metro and the Shields Ferry with a fare-paying adult.
  • Spectators should pick one place to see their runner. Reaching a second viewing point in time is close to impossible on race day.

Our Metro times page has the regular coast line pattern and first and last trains from Whitley Bay, Monkseaton and Cullercoats.

Driving: the A19 slip roads shut at Lindisfarne

Drivers should not plan on leaving the A19 at Lindisfarne Interchange, the A194 junction for South Shields, on Sunday. National Highways’ closure report lists both the northbound and southbound exit slip roads there as closed from 9.00am until 11.59pm to facilitate the run.

The A19 carriageway itself stays open. There are no closures at Moor Farm, Killingworth or Dudley in the report covering 11 to 17 September. Roads along the route in Newcastle, Gateshead and South Shields close on the day; the Metro is the practical way in from the coast.

What it means for you

  • Running? Leave earlier than feels necessary. Nexus expects its busiest day of the year, and crowd control queues at stations are part of the plan.
  • Watching someone run? Choose the start or the finish, not both, and agree a meeting point before they set off.
  • Not going? Sunday is a day to avoid driving towards South Shields or central Newcastle. The coast itself is unaffected, and coast line Metro stations run as normal.
  • Our roadworks and travel page has the rest of the fortnight’s closures.

Sources