A SCHEME to help to ease road congestion by encouraging more people to use the train has been launched at Bishop Auckland Railway Station.

The Durham County Council funded Travel Hub is part of an overall upgrade of the railway station and the Bishop Auckland line.

The new hub is designed to ease rail travel for passengers and it will feature a new modern waiting area and disabled toilet.

Staff from the station will also be on hand to provide general rail travel information. The council’s Local Motion team will have details on local rail, bus, walking and cycling routes too.

There will also be access to Visit County Durham information for passengers.

Councillor Neil Foster, the council’s cabinet member for economic regeneration, officially opened the hub today (Tuesday).

He said: “It will provide improved facilities and people will be able to access information and speak to staff who will be there.

“An added boost is the fact the Local Motion staff will at the station to try to encourage people to lead a healthier life.

“It will also help to improve the congestion on the roads which is something that we will need to manage in the future.”

The railway station is the terminus for the Tees Valley line and it provides services to nearby towns such as Darlington, Saltburn and Middlesbrough.

For more details about the scheme visit dothelocalmotion.co.uk