How to get to the Coates Hire Newcastle 500

Hundreds of extra train and bus services will be running along with frequent ferry services for the Coates Hire Newcastle 500 next week.

More than 150,000 people are expected to attend three days of racing through Newcastle and around the foreshore on November 23-25.

Coates Hire Newcastle 500 | Tickets | Info

There will also be a concert featuring Simple Minds and Birds of Tokyo at the National Park No. 1 Sportsground in Newcastle from 6pm on Saturday night.

On-track, the Virgin Australia Supercars Championship finale includes a showdown between Scott McLaughlin and Shane van Gisbergen.

The closest train station to the action is Newcastle Interchange, and extra trains will be running on the Central Coast & Newcastle Line and Hunter Line over the weekend to get fans there and home again.

There will be two Park & Ride services in operation – one at McDonald Jones Stadium and the other at Stockton Ferry Wharf.

Anyone driving to Newcastle should also allow plenty of extra travel time and plan to arrive early.

Heavy traffic is expected in the city and on major roads approaching it including the M1 Pacific Motorway and Pacific Highway, especially on Saturday and Sunday morning.

Roads in Newcastle East will be closed each day of the event, along with other roads in Newcastle and at Stockton. Roads near the National Park No.1 Sportsground will be closed on Saturday for the evening concert.

Parking restrictions will be in place as well on roads in Newcastle and around the concert venue, McDonald Jones Stadium and Stockton Wharf.

Vehicles left in signposted special event clearways will be towed, and a fee applies.

"With huge crowds attending, major road closures and heavy traffic expected in and around Newcastle, the easiest way to get to the action is by public transport," a Transport Management Centre spokesperson said.

"Tickets to the event cover travel to and from Newcastle on trains (bounded by Bomaderry, Goulburn, Bathurst, Dungog and Scone), special event shuttle buses, Newcastle and Sydney buses and Newcastle Ferries services.

"Once you’re at Newcastle Interchange, you can catch a shuttle bus to Market Street Lawn on Scott Street, which is a short walk from the Gate 1 and 2 entrances to the circuit.

"If you’re going to McDonald Jones Stadium, make sure you pre-book a parking spot. A shuttle bus will take you from the stadium to Honeysuckle Drive. From there, you can walk to the race track along the foreshore.

"If you’re catching the Stockton ferry, give yourself plenty of time as it will be extremely busy. Services will be running frequently but be prepared for long queues.

"If you’re coming from Sydney or the Central Coast, consider driving to Central Coast & Newcastle Line train stations with commuter carparks such as Wyong, Morisset and Fassifern, then jumping on the train."

For traffic information, visit www.livetraffic.com and to plan your trip to the Newcastle 500, visit www.transportnsw.info

Getting to and from the Coates Hire Newcastle 500

TRAINFrom Sydney and the Central Coast to Newcastle Interchange:- Trains run frequently between Sydney and Newcastle Interchange on Fridays- Extra trains will run from Central on Saturday and Sunday mornings

From the Hunter to Newcastle Interchange:- Extra trains will run from Maitland on Friday, Saturday and Sunday mornings

From Newcastle Interchange to Sydney and the Central Coast:- Extra trains will run to Central and Gosford on Friday, Saturday and Sunday afternoon nights- The 10:33pm train to Gosford will continue onto Central on Friday night- The 11:40pm train to Gosford will continue onto Central on Saturday night.

From Newcastle Interchange to the Hunter:- Extra trains will run to Maitland on Friday, Saturday and Sunday afternoons and nights- To cater for the extra event services, coaches will replace trains between Scone, Dungog and Maitland on Saturday and Sunday

Planned trackwork means buses will be replacing trains on the:- T3 Bankstown Line between Sydenham and Central- T4 Eastern Suburbs & Illawarra Line between Sydenham and Central- South Coast Line between Waterfall and Central, and between Bomaderry and Wollongong

BUS- Event Shuttle buses will run regularly between Stewart Avenue at Newcastle Interchange and Market Street Lawn on Scott Street at Wolfe Street from 6:30am until 7:30pm each day- From 4:30pm on Saturday, these buses will also stop at the concert venue- From 8pm until 11:30pm, shuttle buses will leave the concert for the station or ferry wharf- Park and Ride Shuttle buses will run regularly between McDonald Jones Stadium and Honeysuckle Drive from 6:30am until 7:30pm each day- From 8pm until 11:30pm on Saturday night, buses will run from the concert to the stadium- Extra Route 11, 12, 13 and 14 buses will leave Bolton Street or Marketown on Saturday and Sunday

FERRY- Ferries will run between Stockton Wharf and Queens Wharf every 10 minutes between 5:20am and midnight on Friday and Saturday, and between 5:30am and 10pm on Sunday

ROADS- All roads within the circuit east of Bolton Street will be closed from 7am to 7pm each day- Roads outside the circuit including Hunter Street/Scott Street east of Darby Street and roads north of King Street will be closed from 6am to 8pm on Friday and Sunday, and from 6am to 11pm on Saturday- At Newcastle Interchange, the northbound lanes of Stewart Avenue will be closed from 6am to 11pm on Saturday and from 6am to 8pm on Sunday. Lane closures will also be in place on Honeysuckle Drive from 6am to 12pm on Saturday and Sunday- Closures and special event clearways will be in place on sections of Parry Street, Ravenshaw Street and Arnott Street at the No. 1 Sportsground from midday until midnight Saturday- Special event clearways will be in place on key roads outside the circuit in Newcastle and at Stockton from 1am Friday until 8pm Sunday- Special event clearways will be in place near McDonald Jones Stadium from 4am Friday until 8pm Sunday- Special event clearways will be in place on roads within the circuit precinct from 5am Friday until 7pm Monday.- Special event clearways are strict no-parking zones and vehicles left in these clearways will be towed and a fee applies