AN EMERGENCY station built in just a few days late last year to help connect the two sides of flood-divided Workington is to close on 8 October.

Workington North was built in a week during November, and when it opened its two unstaffed platforms were used by over 2000 Northern Rail passengers every day, but with the opening of the road bridge in April use of the temporary station 'has all but ceased', said the operator.

Northern said that after a review of passenger numbers over several months, in consultation with its partners and passenger representatives, it had decided 'the time is right' for the temporary station to close.

Matthew Beeton, who is area director for Northern, said: “Workington North met an immediate need in the aftermath of the Cumbrian floods when the road network was disrupted. However, over recent months peoples’ travel patterns have changed, reducing use of the station significantly.

“We are very proud of the role that the rail industry and our partners played in keeping the communities of Cumbria connected in the aftermath of the floods. We remain committed to working with partners to develop services and facilities for passengers in Cumbria.”

Marie Fallon, Cumbria County Council’s director of environment, who led the flood recovery efforts as chair of the Cumbria Flood Recovery Co-ordinating Group, said: “Building Workington North temporary station will always represent a proud chapter in Cumbria’s history. The way everyone rallied around to get the temporary station up and running to provide a free shuttle service with extra bus links was a fantastic effort and a shining example of the multi-agency response to the floods.

“The station has clearly served its purpose now, as shown by the huge reduction in user numbers since the temporary road bridge opened, and it no longer makes sense operationally to keep it open. Its closure is actually an important milestone towards getting Workington back to where it was before the floods.”