Transport

North East England is closer to London and Europe than you may think, thanks to excellent transport and communications facilities linking the region to the rest of the UK, the Continent and the rest of the world. 

London is 274 miles (440 km) from Newcastle and 250 miles (402 km) from Tees Valley.  By air the distance can be covered in 50 minutes, by rail in 2.5 to 3 hours and by road in less than 5 hours. 

A day’s business in London is an easy trip from the North East with regular rail and air services providing flexible and efficient journeys.

Rail

At peak times, the fastest services are:

Newcastle – London Kings Cross  
2 hrs 42 mins 
7:18 dep
10:00 arr

Darlington – London Kings Cross  
2 hrs 24 mins 
7:30 dep 
9:54 arr

London Kings Cross – Darlington  
2 hrs 16 mins        
17:00 dep
19:16 arr

The train which leaves Newcastle at 6am, Durham at 6.12am and Darlington at 6.30am reaches London Kings Cross just before 9am.  The 5pm return from London arrives in Darlington at 7.16pm and Newcastle at 7.46pm.

GNER operates the East Coast Mainline connecting the North East with London and Scotland.  GNER consistently tops the Strategic Rail Authority National Passenger Survey with the most satisfied passengers (82%) of any UK long distance train operator.  The service has achieved 99.2% reliability for 12 months to Oct 04 (source GNER website).

The East Coast Mainline is Britain’s fastest rail route, with trains routinely achieving speeds of up to 150 mph.

From 2007 Eurostar will offer rail links from the North East to Paris and Brussels via the new St.Pancras terminal with journey times of approx 5 hours or less.

Source: National Rail Enquires Feb 2004/Station Master Journey Planner, Feb 2004

Air

North East England is served by two international airports, Newcastle International and Durham Tees Valley.  Both airports are continually investing in new facilities and infrastructure and developing wider route networks.

Durham Tees Valley airport is located in the south of the region, approximately four miles east of Darlington, nine miles west of Middlesbrough. 

Newcastle International Airport is located forty miles to the north, four miles north east of Newcastle upon Tyne.
 
These airports offer more than 30 scheduled routes to the rest of the UK and into Europe, as well as a large number of connections to the key hub airports of Heathrow, Gatwick and Amsterdam Schipol leading to destinations throughout the world.

The road networks around both airports are congestion free; car parking is available within walking distance of the terminals; and check-in desks and luggage carousels are close to the arrival and departure gates.

Scheduled Flights to UK Destinations from Newcastle International:
Aberdeen
Belfast City
Belfast International
Birmingham
Bristol
Cardiff 
Isle of Man
Jersey
Liverpool
London Gatwick
London Heathrow
London Stansted
Plymouth (via Cardiff)
Southampton

Scheduled Flights to UK Destinations from Durham Tees Valley:
Aberdeen
Belfast International
Jersey
London Heathrow

Scheduled Flights to Europe and North America from Newcastle International:
Alicante
Amsterdam
Barcelona
Berlin
Brussels
Budapest
Copenhagen
Dublin
Düsseldorf
Geneva
Hanover
Malaga
Nice
Palma Mallorca
Paris
Prague
Rome
Stavanger
Toronto

Scheduled Flights to Europe from Durham Tees Valley:
Alicante
Amsterdam
Dublin
Malaga
Nice
Palma Mallorca
Prague

Source: Regional Trends

Average number of miles travelled in 30 minutes (peak time):

London  1.9
Middlesbrough 3.3
Newcastle  4.9

Source: Experian Business Strategies (Micromarketer) & AA

Source: ONS Regional Trends

51% of workers in the North East reach their workplace within 20 mins or less, compared with only 21% in London.
 

Cost of commuting on public transport is lower in the North East:

Tyne and Wear All Zones Annual Travel Card     £575
Source : Nexus (Nov 04)

London All Zones Annual Travel Card   £1,532

Source: http://www.tfl.gov.uk/common/downloads/2004-fares.pdf  Nov 04