Preston, South Ribble and Leyland news, ,what's on, traffic, weather plus Preston North End latest

Showpiece railway station 'shambles'

From the Lancashire Evening Telegraph, first published Tuesday 30th Mar 2004.

BLACKBURN'S showpiece railway station was today branded a 'shambles' after train bosses said they would go on using a 'temporary' platform which leaves passengers exposed to cold, wind and rain.

Rail user groups today called on Blackburn with Darwen Council to take action over the use of Platform 4, the only platform left roofless after the £6million refurbishment.

They said the platform, now used by a large number of Preston and Manchester bound trains, left passengers worse off than before the station was modernised.

But North West Trains said they would continue using the platform because trains had to slow down to negotiate points to reach the main part of the station.

As they did not have to cross the tracks to get to platform four it helped them to keep services to time.

The protests came as it was also revealed First North Western, the company which leases the station from infrastructure firm Network Rail, was having to retile the underpass linking the platforms because its walls were riddled with damp.

Platform four at the station had not been used for years until the £6million refit began in 2000.

It was brought back into life as a temporary measure when building work began, with trains which would have stopped at platforms one, two and three, stopping there instead.

As a result of the redevelopment, platform four has been left without a roof -- while one, two and three are covered by a space-age dome.

But instead of switching all the trains back to the other three platforms, two of which are used by through-services and the third for ones which terminate in Blackburn, First North Western has continued using platform four, claiming it helps to keep trains running on time.

As a result, hundreds of passengers a day are attempting to cram into two small bus-stop like shelters on the platform to protect themselves from the elements.

David Butterworth, from the Rail Passenger Committee, said: "There is no doubt that things have become a bit of a shambles.

"Platform four was never meant for regular use in the long-term, and that is why it isn't covered up.

"The council should be putting pressure on for proper facilities on platform four. In some ways, people were better off before the work began.

The redevelopment of the station was dogged by controversy, and ran 15 months late as a result of protracted contractual negotiations.

A spokesman for First North Western said: "We are aware of the problems with the tiles in the underpass at Blackburn station.

"These are being caused by dampness in the walls and we are working closely with Network Rail to identify ways to resolve them.

"We aim to provide the best possible services for our customers at all our stations. In the case of platforms one, two and three at Blackburn, trains have to slow down to cross tracks to reach those.

"Running more trains through platform four helps us to run our services on time."

Archive Home