Temporary station opens in flood-ravaged town

A temporary railway station built in six days to help reunite a Cumbrian town devastated by the recent floods opened today.

Five hundred people were drafted in to build Workington North station on the north side of the River Derwent after several bridges in the area were lost in torrential rivers just over a week ago.

Network Rail said a number of people got on the 5.50am train that arrived from Workington, half a mile away across the river.

The new station was built on wasteland and features two platforms, a portable waiting room, a gravel car park and a footbridge.

A service between the neighbouring stations will run every half an hour up to Maryport, which is a few miles along the coast.

It is free to travel between the Workington stations - thanks to funding from the Department for Transport - and the link will operate for the next six months at least.

A spokesman for Network Rail said: "We are a big company with lots of engineering expertise and experience.

"We knew we could help out and it's been a pleasure to provide Workington with a new station to reconnect the community."