Transport advice issued for Bruce Springsteen in Sunderland as 45,000 fans prepare for Stadium of Light concert

Bruce Springsteen fans are being advised to plan their journeys in advance and give themselves plenty of time to get there, with thousands of concert-goers due to descend on the city.

More than 45,000 Springsteen fans will be heading to Sunderland's Stadium of Light for the concert on Wednesday, May 22.

This is 'The Boss's second visit to Sunderland after last playing at the Stadium of Light with the E Street Band during his Wrecking Ball Tour in 2012.

Both roads and public transport are expected to be especially on the day of the gig, with those who are travelling for other reasons warned to take heed.

Sunderland City Council, Sunderland AFC, transport operators and Nexus say they have well-rehearsed event travel and transport plans in place to help make journeys to and from the city and the stadium as stress free as possible.

This includes a traffic management system to avoid over congestion on public transport and the roads.

Peter McIntyre, executive director of City Development at Sunderland City Council, said: "We're delighted to be welcoming 'The Boss' on his return visit to Sunderland. I know many people have very happy memories from when he last played here in 2012 and can't wait to see him perform again.

"We're also looking forward to welcoming people to our city from across the country as well as the wider region and I'd encourage them to visit our city centre with its fantastic range of cafes, bars and restaurants while they're here.

"We want everyone to have a brilliant night so the advice to concert goers is to plan your journey in advance and give yourself plenty of time to get there. It's also worth non concert-goers being aware that public transport and routes in and out of Sunderland are likely to be especially busy that day."

Travelling by Metro and bus

On their way to the concert, people being are advised to use all the city's train stations. 

After the concert only St Peters and Stadium of Light train stations will be open for travellers heading northbound towards Newcastle.

Concert-goers can save time by buying their Metro tickets in advance from any Metro ticket machine for £5.90 for an all day, all zone travel ticket.

Sunderland Central and Park Lane Stations will be closed to passengers from 10.00pm and trains will pass through without stopping after this time.

Metro passengers should expect trains to be busy from mid afternoon onwards on Wednesday 22 May.

For the latest from Metro operators Nexus, visit:  https://www.nexus.org.uk/concerts

Anyone planning to travel to or from the concerts by bus should check with local operators Stagecoach and Go-North East for details: 

Stagecoach - www.stagecoachbus.com/plan-a-journey

North East - www.gonortheast.co.uk/plan-your-journey

Traveline bus and Metro info - www.traveline.info

Travelling by car

The best routes into the city for motorists will be well signposted with temporary traffic signs, with drivers advised to switch off sat navs and follow signs. Traffic restrictions will be in place with roads around the stadium closed to all traffic on the day. Road maps for the concerts and live updates are available on the traffic monitoring site: www.one.network.

Non concert goers should also be aware that routes heading into and out of Sunderland are likely to be extremely busy that day.

Parking

There is no public parking available at the Stadium of Light or in nearby residential streets. People planning to travel to concert by car are being advised to use city centre car parks found at the following link: www.sunderland.gov.uk/parking

Pre-bookable parking is also available at the Riverside Sunderland Multi Story Car Park in Farringdon Row for a flat fee of £7 for 24 hours.  Book via Sunderland City Council Parking Portal (sunderlandparking.co.uk)  Then click on the Event Parking tab. This car park will not be available for pay on the day parking.

Limited disabled parking at the Stadium of Light can be pre-allocated by contacting the Stadium of Light.

Park and walk

The event's main park and walk site is at Sunderland Enterprise Park on the north side of the River Wear adjacent to A1231 Wessington Way (20-30 minutes walk), with a signposted route along a footpath/cycleway to the Stadium of Light. Vehicles are advised to access this via the A1231 Wessington Way due to the closure of Keir Hardie Way.

Drop off and pick up

The designated pick up and drop off location for car passengers is the westbound carriageway of Dame Dorothy Street,  a short walk from the Stadium of Light. This will be signposted on the day for drivers entering the city centre. 

Taxis

All taxis will be available from the city centre taxi ranks.