Network Rail says sorry for £27m station lift woes
BBCNetwork Rail has apologised for the problems faced at a station which recently underwent a £27m redevelopment.
A new southern entrance to Sunderland station was opened in December 2023 with Network Rail saying at the time that "finishing touches" would be applied in the next few months.
But Labour MP Lewis Atkinson said there had been prolonged periods where escalators, lifts, doors and toilets in the entrance "were not functional" and had called for a public apology from the rail body.
Network Rail has now apologised for the "frustration and inconvenience" caused to locals and said it had conducted an internal review into the issues faced.
Atkinson had previously said that the station was managed by train company Northern but that many of the maintenance problems affecting the entrance had been the responsibility of Network Rail.
He said it had taken Network Rail 21 months to make lift repairs and put in a working escalator at the station.
Responding to Atkinson, Network Rail said it recognised its performance with the site's lifts and escalators had been "far below" the level expected.
In a letter, Lila Tachtsi, director for engineering and asset management for Northern Rail's Eastern region, said it had taken "too long" to get to a point where the facilities were being regularly maintained.
Shesaid there were "clearly lessons for us to learn" about future projects and that an internal review had been conducted.
Some of the changes put in place following the review include ensuring better communication between its projects team and its escalators and lifts team.
The station was branded an "embarrassment" in October by the city council's opposition leader, Liberal Democrat Paul Edgeworth.
Only one business, a coffee shop, has opened at the southern entrance since its redevelopment.
