Northern and Grand Central keep Eaglescliffe and Chester le Street open for business

Earlier this year Chester le Track, which currently runs both ticket offices, announced it would be pulling out of its contract at the two stations early, leaving customers with no option to buy face-to-face tickets.

Now Northern and Grand Central, both owned by Arriva Group, have stepped in to help keep staff at the stations and to give customers more ticket buying options.

Kerry Cross, Head of Trains and Stations for Northern, said: “Since Chester le Track announced its decision to close its business we have been working to find the best solution for our customers.

“We fully recognise the importance of the ticket offices to the local communities and, thanks to a partnership with Grand Central, are delighted to announce we will not only be keeping them open, but will also have more staff available to provide advice and information to customers.”

Eaglescliffe ticket office will be operated by Grand Central and will be open every day other than Thursdays and Sundays. Northern will provide further customer service with extra staff at the station to offer help and advice and keep the waiting room open Monday to Saturday.

Northern will also provide staff to operate the ticket office at Chester le Street which will be open Monday to Saturday from 7am to 1pm. Initially, advance purchase and season tickets will not be available at Chester le Street, but all other ticket types will be on offer.

Kerry added: “It’s fantastic we have been able to keep both ticket offices open, and we are grateful to Grand Central for their assistance. We are now working to develop long term plans at Eaglescliffe and Chester le Street as we continue to strive to deliver the best possible customer service.”

Grand Central Managing Director Richard McClean said: “The ticket office at Eaglescliffe has been highly valued by rail customers for many years and we’d like to thank Chester-le-Track’s staff for delivering such great support to passengers over the years.

“We consulted with customers and local companies and know they prefer to plan train journeys and buy tickets in person. They appreciate the personal service and we’re delighted to confirm the ticket office will remain open.

“We’ve worked closely with our colleagues at Northern and are pleased that we have been able to work together to keep the ticket office open for the benefit of all passengers and the local community.”