THE opening of the 60th Tyne and Wear Metro station at Simonside on South Tyneside was marked by giving a week’s free travel to 2,000 people living in the local area.

The special offer was introduced to showcase the £3.2 million station which opened on Monday 17 March, and to show the benefits of having Metro ‘on their doorstep’.

The new station at Simon-side, which has been part-funded by the European Regional Development Fund, offers residents five trains an hour in each direction towards South Shields town centre, Gateshead and the centre of Newcastle.

“Metro is a fast, reliable and frequent service that beats all the traffic jams and takes the stress out of commuting,” said Emma Holmes, commercial director with Nexus, the Metro operator.

“By giving away a week’s free travel we wanted to show the community what a good thing they’ve got just a short walk from their own front door.”