Pop cards are confirmed to be accepted on the new Northumberland Line

A new zonal map of the larger Pop card area shows stations at Seaton Delaval, Newsham, Blyth Bebside, Bedlington, and Ashington added onto the familiar Tyne and Wear Metro network, with the creation of a new ‘zone D’ for the most north of those.

Metro’s Pop Pay As You Go card will be valid at each of the Northumberland Line’s new stations, and Pop fares will be extended to those areas.

Customers with pre-paid Metro season tickets loaded to a Pop card can also add a Northumberland Line season ticket to their card.

Nexus, the public body which runs Metro, has worked with Northern, the Northumberland Line’s operator, and Northumberland County Council to establish good value integrated fares for multi-modal journeys using the Pop Pay As You Go payment system.

John Souter, head of customer service operations at Nexus, said: “Integrated fares make it easy and affordable for people to use the new line, and connect in with Metro services for onward journeys. It’s another great boost for connectivity in our region.

For customers aged 21 and under, a single journey anywhere across that expanded network will cost just £1.00 and a full day’s travel will be capped at £2.20.

For adults, a single journey using a the card will cost between £1.80 and £3.80 depending on how far they travel, and the daily cap is between £2.90 and £6.20.

Season tickets for the Northumberland Line bought with a Pop card will start at £13.20 for unlimited travel for one week in one zone, with unlimited travel in all four zones costing £30 per week.

Like existing Pop card users, Northumberland Line customers need to “touch in” at either a station validator or at an automatic ticket gate when starting their journey, and “touch out” at their destination to ensure they are charged the correct fare.

The technology behind the Pop card means that the cheapest combined fare will then be deducted – helping customers ensure they’re getting the best price for their journey, applying a daily cap if they have made several trips.