Byker

Prior to the construction of the Tyne and Wear Metro, there was a British Rail station at Byker, which was located to the north of Shields Road. The station closed to passengers in 1954, with the remainder of the Riverside Branch closing to passengers in July 1973. Heading west from the station, the route crosses the 815 m Byker Viaduct over the Ouseburn Valley, then running alongside the East Coast Main Line, before heading underground, to Manors. The S-shaped viaduct was constructed for the Tyne and Wear Metro by Ove Arup, with work on the structure commencing in 1976, with completion in 1979. In 2021, a montage was added with works from the Baltic Centre for Contemporary Art.