Speaking during a debate in Parliament today (13.09.23), Peter Gibson has called for the ticket office at Darlington Bank Top Station to remain open.
Mr Gibson has received a significant amount of correspondence from his constituents opposing the closure of Darlington’s ticket office and during the debate he highlighted that 133,785 tickets were sold in the ticket office last year, equating to an average of 368 a day, demonstrating significant demand for a ticket office in Darlington.
Mr Gibson also highlighted the increased footfall that is expected at Darlington station following the completion of the £139 million redevelopment, which will see the addition of extra platforms, significantly increasing the capacity of the station. As such, Mr Gibson said that “closing the ticket office in Darlington seems to me simply madness at this time, undermining this important government funded redevelopment.”
Mr Gibson has previously met with Huw Merriman MP, the rail Minister, as well as LNER to make clear his opposition to the closure of the ticket office. Moreover, he has ensured that all correspondence he received from constituents has been sent directly to LNER and asked for it to be included as part of the ongoing consultation on the matter, as well as providing his own detailed submission.
Speaking following the debate, Mr Gibson said “The retention of the ticket office in Darlington is hugely important for our community, some of the most vulnerable people in our society, particularly those who are elderly or disabled, rely on the ticket office to access the rail network.
“I will continue to press the Government and LNER to ensure our ticket office remains open, so that everyone can continue to have access to the rail network and so that the transformation of our station is not undermined by a short-sighted decision.”
