RAIL passengers in Burnley have complained they have been left with ‘half a station’ after the re-opening of the revamped £2.3million Manchester Road halt.

Major improvements to the facility, a long-awaited departure point for the faster service to Manchester, have been broadly welcomed by commuters.

But fresh protests have centred on the ticket office – which closes daily at 1.15pm – and the lack of a ticket machine on the Preston-bound platform.

Travellers said they were especially frustrated at the early closure of the indoor waiting area, pointing out that the ticket office at Burnley Central, the branch line, is open until 9pm.

County Coun Marcus Johnstone said passengers at Manchester Road, the town’s key link to Preston and West Yorkshire, had been left with “half a station”.

The Labour member for Padiham and Burnley West said: “The Preston-bound platform is still not covered when it rains because all you have is an inadequate shelter.”

Coun Anne Kelly said that she had arrived at the station in a large party, bound for Preston, only to find that they had to cross the road bridge to buy a ticket on the York platform.

Speaking at the station yesterday, 43-year-old Kathleen Cassell, who uses the halt daily, said: “The ticket office is never open. I think they should have improved the waiting area on the Preston side. There is only one shelter and when it is busy during rush hour you can fit only a few people underneath. I use it every day and I can’t say I’m particularly impressed. I’ve just come from Blackburn and there is plenty of space to shelter indoors there.”

Fellow passenger Barbara Hobman said: “I think it’s OK. We use the station quite often to go to Blackpool and Blackburn. The ticket machine issue doesn’t affect me too much as I just buy one when I’m on board the train. However, I do think the waiting room and indoor ticket office should be open until around 6pm or 7pm, especially in bad weather. It’s not nice being out here when there are so many seats locked indoors.”

Rail bosses often remind passengers that certain discounted tickets are only available if they are purchased in advance at the station.

Coun Shah Hussain, the borough council’s cabinet member for regeneration, said: “I think that in terms of the work on the new station itself there have been teething problems.

“The ticket office is open only from around 8am to 1pm and the reason for this is that it has been transferred to Northern Rail and they have told us that they can only have full staffing for the station in the New Year.”

A Northern Rail spokesman said: “The opening hours for the ticket office at Manchester Road have been set, while we assess demand, but will be reviewed in the New Year.”

Controversy surrounded the station building when it remained virtually finished for more than four months but remained closed to passengers.

The first faster Manchester service will not start until May at the earliest.