Sunderland is well connected by the Tyne and Wear Metro, which links it directly to Newcastle city centre (journey time around 25 minutes) and to Newcastle Airport. The Metro station is in the city centre. Direct trains also run from Newcastle Central on the main East Coast line.
By road, the A19 connects Sunderland to the A1(M) and the national motorway network. Driving time from Newcastle is around 20 minutes. There is no direct rail link to London — the fastest route involves changing at Newcastle, with a total journey time of around three hours.