The Department for Transport has announced a range of improvements to local rail services on the busy Darlington to Bishop Auckland railway line.
The improvements from part of a much wider package that will see rail services transformed right across the north and brought into the 21st century. Local rail users can look forward to the current 2 hourly service to Bishop Auckland being increased to hourly, more Sunday trains and newer rolling stock with the current fleet of aging ‘pacer’ trains finally being replaced by modern, more comfortable carriages.
The improvements have been included in the new Northern franchise which is due to start March 2016 with most timetable improvements due to be in place by 2019. The franchise sets out the minimum level of service that must be provided, so local rail passengers can confidently expect the improvements will be delivered.
Charlie Walton, the Chairman of the Bishop Line community rail partnership said. ‘This is fantastic news for local rail users; we have been talking to the Department for Transport for many years now about the need to improve local train services in the north and they have finally listened to us.
‘Patronage on our local rail line has increased sharply over recent years and we need more trains to deal with the extra passengers. The Bishop Auckland to Darlington rail line plays an important role in regenerating the economies of County Durham, Darlington and the wider North East, helping people get to work, to the shops and to education, and tourism, opportunities, so this is great news for our local economy as well.’
Local rail users have long complained about the ageing rolling stock used on the Bishop Auckland line. These ‘pacer’ trains which date from the early 1980s are jokingly referred to as cattle trucks by long suffering rail commuters and are used on local rail services right across the north of England. The new franchise will see these old trains phased out and replaced by a fleet of modern trains over the life of the new franchise.
Charlie went on to say that ‘We have long called for the removal of pacer trains from our railway lines here in the north, we don’t believe this rolling stock would never be tolerated in London and the South East and is certainly not good enough for us here in the North East, we’re delighted that we will soon be seeing them replaced with modern, more comfortable rolling stock.
