Improvements at Darwen Railway Station begin

10:00am Thursday 23rd February 2012 in Travel reviews Photograph of the Author By Catherine Pye, Health reporter

NOW CALLING Refurbishment of Darwen station is ‘long overdue’ NOW CALLING Refurbishment of Darwen station is ‘long overdue’

FOUR years after calls were made to improve Darwen railway station, work has finally started.

Contractors have begun on the £400,000 scheme that will see fencing repaired and repainted, new shelters for passengers, a new CCTV system, new signs, a customer information system including a public announcement system, and ticket machines.

Work is expected to last around six weeks, and to minimise the affect on residents, planned night working on the platforms has been cut from eight nights to just four.

Councillor Dave Harling, executive member for regeneration at Blackburn with Darwen Council, said: “The council has worked long and hard to get to this stage. Thanks to an agreement with Northern Rail, we’ve been able to halve the amount of night time working required.

“This is for the resurfacing of both platforms and the installation of tactile paving to help visually impaired customers.”

Recently, annual passenger numbers at the station, which serves the Northern Rail service from Manchester Victoria to Clitheroe have increased to 250,000.

In March 2008, former Darwen MP Janet Anderson called for investment to combat rising incidents of vandalism and fare-dodging.

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After a feasibility study taking into account passenger numbers and crime, Blackburn with Darwen Council secured £200,000 ‘matched’ funding from the National Station Improvement Programme (NSIP) to complete the improvements.

Sunnyhurst Councillor Dave Smith said the news was “long overdue” for the town.

He said: “I’m chuffed about it, but the station has been looking tired for some time, especially the shelters and the infrastructure.

“The improvements will make a big difference to an increasingly-popular station. Anything that encourages people to take public transport has got to be welcomed.”

Comments (9)

11:05am Thu 23 Feb 12

CapitaBackHander says...

Catherine you have made a mistake. You have missed 'ty' off the heaing. It should read FORTY years surely ;)
Oh good Tactile paving that is nice and slippy - up and down the country we installed this daft stone with poor workmanship, made me think we were getting an influx of blind people and how they survived for 100's of years prior.
Spend the money on something that is needed like the rest mentioned. Or hold it back for when the yobs wreck the shelters e.t.c.
Who's betting that the first announcment will be the Train to Manchester has been cancelled. It terminated at....
Catherine you have made a mistake. You have missed 'ty' off the heaing. It should read FORTY years surely ;) Oh good Tactile paving that is nice and slippy - up and down the country we installed this daft stone with poor workmanship, made me think we were getting an influx of blind people and how they survived for 100's of years prior. Spend the money on something that is needed like the rest mentioned. Or hold it back for when the yobs wreck the shelters e.t.c. Who's betting that the first announcment will be the Train to Manchester has been cancelled. It terminated at.... CapitaBackHander

11:07am Thu 23 Feb 12

CapitaBackHander says...

heaDing...oh lazy again re no proof reading.
heaDing...oh lazy again re no proof reading. CapitaBackHander

12:48pm Thu 23 Feb 12

Your ferret stinks says...

“This is for the resurfacing of both platforms and the installation of tactile paving to help visually impaired customers.”

Are we expecting that visually impaired people will be feeling their way along the platform on hands and knees?
“This is for the resurfacing of both platforms and the installation of tactile paving to help visually impaired customers.” Are we expecting that visually impaired people will be feeling their way along the platform on hands and knees? Your ferret stinks

2:22pm Thu 23 Feb 12

s_smith says...

YFS... What are you on about?
YFS... What are you on about? s_smith

2:52pm Thu 23 Feb 12

Noiticer says...

Let's not forget that the original plan was for a manned booking office with full facilities not just enhanced shelters etc. which is what Darwen Station really needs with over a quarter of a million passengers recorded as users plus thousands more who evade paying on the short journey into Blackburn partly because conductors can't be bothered to collect fares.
Let's not forget that the original plan was for a manned booking office with full facilities not just enhanced shelters etc. which is what Darwen Station really needs with over a quarter of a million passengers recorded as users plus thousands more who evade paying on the short journey into Blackburn partly because conductors can't be bothered to collect fares. Noiticer

3:18pm Thu 23 Feb 12

hasslem hasslem says...

Contractors have begun on the £400,000 scheme that will see fencing repaired and repainted, new shelters for passengers, a new CCTV system, new signs, a customer information system including a public announcement system, and ticket machines.
.
maybe its me - but that dont sound like a lot for £400k
.
dave smith is "chuffed" - no dave that's the trains
Contractors have begun on the £400,000 scheme that will see fencing repaired and repainted, new shelters for passengers, a new CCTV system, new signs, a customer information system including a public announcement system, and ticket machines. . maybe its me - but that dont sound like a lot for £400k . dave smith is "chuffed" - no dave that's the trains hasslem hasslem

5:01pm Thu 23 Feb 12

pm1960 says...

hasslem - if you want a copy of the plans & work to be done - don't speculate just ask a Darwen Councillor who will give you the information !
hasslem - if you want a copy of the plans & work to be done - don't speculate just ask a Darwen Councillor who will give you the information ! pm1960

9:04pm Thu 23 Feb 12

living the end times in BB1 says...

Your ferret stinks wrote:
“This is for the resurfacing of both platforms and the installation of tactile paving to help visually impaired customers.”

Are we expecting that visually impaired people will be feeling their way along the platform on hands and knees?
Why don't they put a fence on each platform to stop confused commuters getting off at the wrong stop.And the animals at bay.
[quote][p][bold]Your ferret stinks[/bold] wrote: “This is for the resurfacing of both platforms and the installation of tactile paving to help visually impaired customers.” Are we expecting that visually impaired people will be feeling their way along the platform on hands and knees?[/p][/quote]Why don't they put a fence on each platform to stop confused commuters getting off at the wrong stop.And the animals at bay. living the end times in BB1

8:53am Fri 24 Feb 12

Your ferret stinks says...

s_smith wrote:
YFS... What are you on about?
Figure it out!

CLUE: Tactile?
[quote][p][bold]s_smith[/bold] wrote: YFS... What are you on about?[/p][/quote]Figure it out! CLUE: Tactile? Your ferret stinks

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