Darlington would be the only station on the East Coast Main Line without a dedicated platform for the service, which has led some including local councillor Mike Renton, of the Conservative Party, to question whether the station will lose some of its prestige.
In some ways you can see where Renton is coming from, while Darlington would still be on the mainline, it can be argued that without its own dedicated platform for the service the station and the local area by extension could be considered an afterthought by passengers and transport executives.
Rather than having its own platform, trains travelling on the East Coast Main Line would pull onto a parallel track to allow passengers to embark or disembark before re-joining the line.
Credit: Wikimedia Commons
However, this is not to say that Darlington station is without prestige or acclaim. The station building is a Grade II listed Victorian building which won the “Large Station of the Year” award in 2005. The station itself is beautiful, with its large brick façade and distinctive clock tower making for an iconic station front. Nevertheless, the station is not only a pretty face but also serves as a crucial interchange for the North East, being the link between the East Coast Main Line and Middlesbrough. So, despite this revamp leaving LNER’s Azuma without its own platform, it can be argued that the revamp will actually increase the station’s prestige, allowing for more local services which will benefit people in the local area.
The station is not only a pretty face but also serves as a crucial interchange for the North East, being the link between the East Coast Main Line and Middlesborough.
Credit: Wikimedia Commons
