England has extensive domestic and international aviation links. The largest airport is Heathrow, which is the world’s busiest airport measured by number of international passengers.  Other large airports include Gatwick, Manchester, Stansted, Luton and Birmingham.

Rail

The East Coast mainline runs north from London Kings Cross via York, with direct trains hourly to Darlington (2 hrs 20), Durham (2 hrs 50), and Newcastle (3 hrs). Other routes from Leeds, Manchester, Birmingham and the southwest join at York. The line continues north to Berwick-upon-Tweed and Edinburgh. Other lines serve Middlesbrough and Sunderland, and cross the waist of the country from Carlisle.

The East Coast Main Line runs north from London via York with stations at Darlington, Durham, Chester-le-Street, Newcastle, Morpeth, Alnmouth and Berwick-upon-Tweed, continuing to Edinburgh. All trains stop at Newcastle, the others are served every hour or so.
Hourly trains run along the coast from Newcastle via Heworth, Sunderland and Seaham to Hartlepool, Stockton and Middlesbrough. In County Durham, a branch line train runs hourly from Darlington to Newton Aycliffe, Shildon and Bishop Auckland.

Roads

The major routes across the region are mostly dual-carriageway. Near the cities they can be congested in rush hour, and on fine Sunday afternoons as city-dwellers head home from the countryside. The main roads are: A1 from the south, passing Darlington, Durham and Newcastle, then continuing to Berwick-upon-Tweed and Edinburgh.

A19 branches off A1 in Yorkshire and runs north nearer the coast, via Middlesbrough and Sunderland and bypassing Newcastle

A69 connects Newcastle and Carlisle, A66 (several long sections undivided) runs from Darlington over the Pennines to meet M6 at Penrith in the Lake District

A68 (an undivided highway) switch-backs across the hills from Darlington to Jedburgh and Edinburgh

The road network in the North East is decent, however traffic can build up severely, particularly on approaches to cities and on the A1 and A19 roads. For this reason it is often best to use public transport to get around the region, especially in urban areas.

Ports

The Shields Ferry crosses the mouth of the Tyne between South Shields and North Shields every 30 mins, a seven-minute ride. Foot passengers and bikes only; both ferry piers are served by the Metro.
The Tees Transporter Bridge is a weird contraption: it’s a gondola slung beneath a slender metal bridge that carries vehicles and others across the river between Middlesbrough (south bank) and Port Clarence, Stockton (north bank).