Tyne Valley Community Rail Partnership (CRP) has facilitated a community day at Wetheral Station, to breathe some new life into the station waiting room.
Wetheral Station is the first stop out of Carlisle on the Tyne Valley Line, and for seven weeks last year saw no trains at all, as buses replaced trains on that portion of the line following a derailment incident.
Concerned by the declining state of the waiting room, the Wetheral Station Adoption Team decided to take action. Alongside Tyne Valley CRP, the Station Adoption Team decided to welcome passengers back to the station by sprucing up the waiting room.
Having seen a press report about a similar station revamp, the team approached VolkerRail to see if they would be interested in volunteering on the project at Wetheral.
On 23 March, the team from Tyne Valley CRP, VolkerRail, Northern, ISS, and two students from Newcastle College Rail Academy met to work on the station and to give the waiting room a much-needed makeover.
Hayley Heap, Senior Environmental Advisor at VolkerRail, said: “VolkerRail was delighted to be asked to be part of the Wetheral Station Community Day. Our team had a brilliant time working with our industry partners including the Tyne Valley CRP and Northern. We are proud to have been part of the project and hope the local community is pleased with the renovated station waiting room.”
Stephen Higgs, Parish Councillor, said: “A huge thank you to the lassies and lads who’ve done a fab job on the inside of the east bound waiting room. It’s looking the best in living memory! And there are future plans to involve youngsters in some artwork to brighten up the interior even more. Watch this space!”
Fiona Forsythe, Community Rail Officer at Tyne Valley CRP, said: “What a difference a day makes. We now have a blank canvas, and we are looking forward to working with a local school on some artwork for the inside of the waiting shelter.
“A big thanks to all those who worked on the project and had such an enjoyable day.”
Keep up to date with future news, projects, and events from Tyne Valley CRP via their website.
