How County Durham's public transport users could benefit from joint travel ticket

Public transport users in Bishop Auckland and Darlington could benefit from a new joint train and bus ticket.

The ticket, which was launched last week, gives passengers unlimited all day travel on Northern rail services and Arriva buses between the two towns.

Nick Knox, area managing director at Arriva Bus, said: “Our new Bishop Train and Bus Day Ranger gives customers greater flexibility in their travel, as will the extension to our services which, from June 4, will see buses run from Bishop Auckland to Darlington until 11.27pm.

“Our customers will also benefit from improved vehicles as the ‘Sapphire’ standard buses have more comfortable seats, on-board Wi-Fi and charging points.”

The new ticket comes at a crucial time for summer tourists with thousands expected to travel to the region to visit The Auckland Project and the annual Kynren festival - two of the biggest attractions in the North East.

Visitors will now be able to travel to Bishop Auckland by train and return to hotels in Darlington on later Arriva buses.

Anne-Isabelle Daulon, CEO of Eleven Arches - which organises Kynren - said: “All at Kynren welcome this new rail and bus link, a fantastic addition to the vital transport infrastructure needed to support our ambition of bringing over half a million people to Bishop Auckland by 2020.

“It further creates the opportunity for more and more visitors to experience our epic tale of England and to celebrate 2,000 years of British history.”

David Maddan, CEO of The Auckland Project, said: “It’s fantastic to see Arriva and Northern recognise the growing popularity of Bishop Auckland and take steps to make it as easy as possible for visitors to enjoy everything that the town has to offer now and in the future.”