SEVERAL stations across East Lancashire are set to have longer ticket opening hours and there will be more frequent journeys between the area and Manchester city centre as the new rail franchise kicks off today.

Train operator Arriva has added northern routes to its national portfolio, taking over services along the East Lancashire and Clitheroe to Manchester via Blackburn lines from a joint venture between Serco and Abellio.

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Rail passengers at Darwen may also be set to benefit from ticketing assistance every morning, under pledges previously made under the new franchise which were “subject to contract”.

Campaigners in East Lancashire have given a cautious welcome to the new franchise – but insisted they will reserve judgement until it has been running for some months.

Under Arriva’s overhaul, Blackburn, Accrington and Burnley Manchester Road stations will form part of a new ‘Northern Connect’ network, with 6am to 10pm ticket office opening, catering facilities and free wi-fi for the Blackpool to York and Blackburn to Manchester Victoria via Todmorden services which call there.

An extra half-hourly train is scheduled for off-peak timings, for Clitheroe, Blackburn, Darwen and intermediate station passengers, to central Manchester locations.

And the smaller stations along the East Lancashire line should also now see hourly services on Sundays – currently travellers can only catch a train every other hour.

Currently Darwen station is unstaffed but there has been a pledge that it will have ticketing assistance available between 7am and 11am.

Another improvement will see new diesel trains running on the Blackpool to York route, through East Lancashire.

Alan Benson, chairman of Stella (Save The East Lancashire Line Association), said: “We will have to wait and see how it will turn out so we can judge it then.”

He said he had been attempting to establish whether the new Arriva operation would work out of the old Northern offices in York and Leeds, without receiving a reply.

Peter Brass, of the Friends of the Blackburn to Hellifield Line, has also voiced fresh concerns over whether a firm date has been set for the half-hourly service to be adopted.

Today a grand launch has been pencilled in for the new Northern and Trans-Pennine franchises at Manchester Piccadilly station, featuring Alex Hynes, who is staying on as Northern’s managing director, and Andrew Jones MP, parliamentary undersecretary for Transport, alongside Arriva and Rail North representatives.

Rail unions have also staged protests this week, demanding that Arriva, and their German state rail partners Deutsche Bahn, ditch plans for driver-only train services, amid safety concerns for passengers.