Not closed but strangled - Polesworth, Pilning and now Teeside Airport

[whole diary]

[grahame]

From Gazette Live

It's one of UK^▸ (United Kingdom)'s least used railway stations, now this Teesside halt will lose a platform

The railway halt will now only travel in one direction

A platform and rail bridge at one of the least used railway stations in the country will be removed.

Only 30 people got on or off a train at Teesside Airport in 2016/17, making it the second least popular station in the country.

Now bosses at Durham Tees Valley Airport has agreed with Northern Rail to run the station’s once-a-week service in only one direction.

Those travelling from Hartlepool to Darlington and using the airport side platform will still be able to use the halt.

But another platform and a footbridge is being removed, as airport chiefs say the cost of maintaining it could be up to £6m over the next five years.

A statement from the airport, which is run by the Peel Group, said: “The existing airport rail halt, located a kilometre from the terminal building, is used by few people with its location unsuitable for airport passengers and for those in surrounding housing or businesses.

“Since the early 1990s it has received only the once-a-week, obligatory, so-called ‘Parliamentary’ service.

“We are not currently pursuing full closure of the station which would require support from both regional stakeholders and the relevant rail authorities. (my note 1)

“Our Masterplan includes a vision for a newly located station which would be delivered in partnership with our stakeholders and council shareholders and which we continue to aspire to achieve.” (my note 2)

1. To paraphrase "We don't have the support of regional stakeholder or the rail authorities to close the station, so we're taking this step instead"

2. If there's a new station planned, then shouldn't the replacement of the current one - which is clearly not delivering travel to any significant passenger flow at the moment - be a part of that rather that something that's disjointed and done ahead of time?   By removing the possibility of return trips by train to the current station without having a replacement any further forward than "aspired", this looks too much like a piece of opportunism to get rid of something that's really not wanted, with kind words of a master plan idea that could then be quietly shelved.

If a station is, truly, not fit for current or future purpose, there's a closure procedure available.  Removing a platform or footbridge to render a station useless - Polesworth, Norton Bridge, Pilning, now Teeside Airport could look like an admission by the perpetrators of the official vandalism that they don't have a solid closure case, and they use their dirty techniques to soften it up.

[ChrisB]

Not sure about that - there are organisations that would fight *any* closure of a railway station, even if it had only one passenger a week. Indeed, there's been comment on here about some of Beechings cuts that would qualify for closure, even now with the usage ithey were getting then. You just don't know what might get built in the future.

[Tim]

If keeping the station open costs £6m (assuming you trust that this figure has not been inflated) and only 30 pa use it then closing it is a no brainer.  Keeping it open on paper only is political cowardice. 

The airport is rather close to Darlington station and so those advocating for improved public transport should be making the case for a bus from Darlington (which would have the advantage of serving other places en route.   

[grahame]

https://www.whatdotheyknow.com/request/859045/response/2048708/attach/3/F0021074.pdf

Not closed by strangled even more - Teesside Airport joins IBM as service suspended

[grahame]

Report from Polesworths from the Birmingham Mail

Just 118 passengers got on or off - an average of less than one every three days - and there are no southbound services, a bridge to access the closed platform, or ticket facilities. It is one of several 'ghost stations' across the UK^▸ (United Kingdom) where services can be as rare as once a week, yet they never close.

Michael, who is also disability officer for Labour for North Warwickshire and Bedworth, said: "A frequent train would be a massive help, my son lives in Swansea and I have not seen him since I became disabled. I have been here for eight years now and let's just say using that train station is an impossibility.

"You can only get a train one way and once a day, what use is that to anybody? "If they can get it sorted it could help the village thrive like our carnivals and Dickens Night and Christmas Market coming up. Many people commute to Birmingham from here too.