Railway station branded the 'weakest link'
MORPETH railway station has been branded a 'weak link' in the national network due to its poor facilities.
Despite seeing a growth in the number of passengers over the last 12 months, Morpeth Station has been included in the 'Weakest Link' survey by Transport 2000.
The survey aimed to find the best and worst stations in England and Wales, with passengers in the north east highlighting poor bus links, difficult-to-cross roads, insecure cycle parking and a lack of cycle paths as problems with their local train station.
Tara Melton, of Transport 2000, said: "Rail passengers need real travel choices.
"All stations should have good bus links, decent footpaths and secure cycle parking and must be accessible to all.
"What our survey shows is that this clearly is not the case for many rural and urban stations.
"With rail patronage growing in the north east it is now more important than ever not to disable or discriminate against rail users and to say 'goodbye' to inaccessible stations."
Speaking on Morpeth Station, she said: "Morpeth Station has seen a growth of eight per cent in the last year and is increasingly popular with commuters.
"The National Rail website warns that the car park fills up by 8.30am; shockingly however, there are no cycle storage facilities."
Dennis Fancett, of the South East Northumberland Rail Users Group (SENRUG) and a local passenger, highlighted some of the problems at the station.
He said: "The southbound platform has a bus turning circle marked 'bus only' but no buses call there; buses only serve the main road which is a short walk away.
"There are no sign posts to the bus stop. To get a bus into town you have to cross the main road with no pedestrian facilities.
"We'd like to see the bus company working to get the buses actually into the station complex."
Transport 2000 has welcomed Government steps to resolve the problem with 'Access for All' funding and a commitment in the Rail White Paper to introduce a task force to improve cycle provisions and to introduce Station Travel Plans.
For more information on Transport 2000 and the survey, visit www.transport2000.org.uk
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Thursday 17 May 2012
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