Two-year train platform closure 'unacceptable'

The two-year closure of a station platform which is forcing passengers to use a rail-replacement bus is "unacceptable", a councillor has said.

Passengers have been unable to access platform two at South Bank train station, near Middlesbrough, after safety concerns were raised about the footbridge leading to it.

Trains that previously called at the station, on the way to Redcar, now pass non-stop and the service has been replaced by a bus. Labour councillor Carl Quartermain said the 30-minute bus was not a "satisfactory long-term substitute" for the far quicker train.

Tees Valley Combined Authority (TVCA) and Network Rail said they were working to solve the problem.

Earlier plans to reopen platform two involved demolishing the footbridge and constructing a temporary replacement.

But earlier this year TVCA said it would finance an alternative temporary solution to "strengthen" the existing structure to bring it back into use.

Quartermain said plans to reopen platform access had faced technical, legal and ownership issues, according to the Local Democracy Reporting Service.

Network Rail said it was working to resolve ownership and liability issues regarding the bridge and that the structure's transfer to the organisation from TVCA was in its final stages.

It also said it had appointed a contractor to carry out the works when they began.

A TVCA spokesperson said the bridge closure had taken longer than it should have and that the situation had been complex.

"That solution is for Network Rail to take responsibility for the bridge and carry out the repairs needed to bring it back into use," they said.

"The legal process is progressing and all partners are committed to reopening the bridge as soon as possible."

Westbound services to Middlesbrough, Darlington and Bishop Auckland remain unaffected.

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