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BBC News
4 days ago
- Sport
- BBC News
Women's Rugby World travel advice first game in Sunderland
Travel advice has been issued to thousands of fans set to attend the first match of the Women's Rugby World play the USA in the tournament opener at the Stadium of Light in Sunderland on Friday 22 City Council has warned fans that public transport and the local road network will be "especially busy" and measures will be put in place to ease Beth Jones advised those attending was to "plan your journey in advance and give yourself plenty of time to get there". "It's also worth people who aren't heading for the match being aware that public transport and routes in and out of Sunderland are likely to be especially busy that day," she council said transport operators had "well-rehearsed" travel plans in place to make journeys to and from the city and the stadium as "stress-free as possible". Metro train services Fans have been asked to use the Stadium of Light station when travelling northbound after the match and St Peter's station when heading services from Newcastle are expected to be busy before the match due to rush hour commuters also using the trains. Spectators should expect long queues at both stations after the match. Bus services The nearest stop to the Stadium of Light is Southwick Road - Howard Street, near The Colliery attending by bus can use the number 35, 36 and 56 services, which arrive from Jarrow bus station, Newcastle Market Street and Sunderland City Centre. There is also a wheelchair accessible match day shuttle bus which is free to all shuttle will call at a number of stops along Wessington Way and Alexandria Avenue and will drop fans off at Kier Hardie Way, opposite The Beacon of Light. Services will run every 10 minutes from 90 minutes before kick-off and until one hour after the final whistle. Arriving by car There are no more spectator parking spaces available at the Stadium of Light as they have all sold are a limited number of pre-bookable parking spaces at the new station car park in Holmeside which will cost £7. Spaces at Sunniside Multi Storey Car Park on William Street will be available on a first-come-first-served arriving by taxi should ask drivers to drop them off or pick them up on Monk Street or Wearmouth Street to the east of the stadium. The closest taxi ranks are on Union Street and Brougham Street in the city will also be in place, which will limit the number of stopping places for rideshare apps. Road closures From 10:00 BST on Thursday 21 August the A183 St Marys Boulevard will be closed in both 19:00 on 21 August until midnight on 22 August roads around Sheepfolds will be 22 August the A1018 Wearmouth Bridge will have restrictions in place on its northbound lane to allow fans to cross safely to the match. Follow BBC Sunderland on X, Facebook, Nextdoor and Instagram.
RNZ News
27-05-2025
- Business
- RNZ News
Truck operators angered at Port of Auckland fee hike
File photo. Port of Auckland Photo: RNZ / Kymberlee Fernandes Truck operators are outraged at a steep increase in access charges at the Port of Auckland, but the port's CEO says ratepayers have been subsidising importers and exporters for too long. An expected 36 percent increase for 2026 had been doubled to 77 percent, with trucks charged $230 in peak hours and $100 in off-peak hours to drive into the country's second largest port. The National Road Carriers Association represents port transport operators. Chief executive Justin Tighe-Umbers told Morning Report the increase was effectively a cash grab. Abruptly bringing the increase forward disrupted operators' planning, and created a flow-on effect that landed on consumers, he said. "The port puts the charge through to the transport operator, who puts the charge through to the freight forwarder, who puts the charge through to the cargo owner, who puts the charge through to the retailer and ultimately you and I as consumers." "It kicks off an enormous amount of work, and predictability is really important." Port of Auckland chief executive Roger Gray said claims the port was already making excessive profits were "simply not true". Photo: Supplied/ Ports of Auckland Tighe-Umbers said the port was already beating its forecast dividends to the council. "The danger we see here is that there's a monopoly in the hands of the cash-strapped Auckland council. My concern is that Auckland Council is going to be tempted to treat the Port of Auckland as a revenue tap they can simply turn on whenever they like without consequence" Port of Auckland chief executive Roger Gray said while the port did bring the charges forward, the increases were signalled a year ago and "shouldn't be a surprise to the sector." He said claims the port was already making excessive profits were "simply not true". The port's profit target of $100 million would bring a fair return to the city. "For too long, the Port of Auckland hasn't been making enough money for its owner, the ratepayers of Auckland, and have been subsidising importers and exporters." The port was seeing a 7 percent increase year on year in containers going through the terminal, he said. The port did not have a monopoly, with a significant number of importers and exporters using the Port of Tauranga, Gray said.
