Location
Newcastle upon Tyne is the commercial and administrative capital of the North East. The city has a population of approximately 280,000 people (census 2011) with the wider conurbation of North Tyneside extending to approximately 1.1 million people, making it the 7th largest in the UK.
Home to 67,000 companies, 3 major ports, five world class universities and a growing skilled workforce of 1.2m, the North East offers a diverse and rapidly growing economy.
Transport links
Road
Newcastle upon Tyne is located approximately 97 miles north of Leeds and 105 miles south of Edinburgh with drive time of 1 hour 40 minutes and 2 hours 20 minutes respectively. The city is well connected to the wider region and national Motorway Network via the A1(M) and A19 linking north to south, and the A69 linking to Carlisle and the M6 to the west.
Rail
The city is a major transport hub and key stop on the East Coast mainline, with Newcastle having direct rail services to London Kings Cross in 2 hours 50 minutes and Edinburgh within 1 hour 30 minutes. Newcastle Central station is also the main interchange for the Tyne and Wear metro, the rail network which runs throughout Tyneside. The Tyne and Wear metro supports 60 stations throughout Tyne and Wear extending as far as Newcastle International Airport to the east, and Sunderland to the south east.
Air
Newcastle International Airport is situated 7 miles north west of the city centre and serves in excess of 4.8 million passengers annually to 80 destinations worldwide. The airport operates flights via 18 scheduled airlines including Emirates, British Airways, Air France, and Easyjet. Newcastle International is the leading airport in the north east benefitting from regular flights throughout the UK, European and international destinations.