ONLY two months after a £400,000 revamp of Darwen Railway Station, the new technology has been hit by problems.

Commuters looking for an alternative to the town’s gridlocked road network have now found that the Public Transport Information Systems (PTIS) on the station’s platforms are not working.

The electronic screens were a key feature of the the station’s overhaul, providing up-to-date information such as train times, destinations and any delay problems.

Rail user Steve Livesey said: “The new PTIS displays are brilliant but alas, like everything else in Darwen, it now fails to work after just two weeks. Will they have to dig up the station again to sort out the problem?”

Carolyn Watson, spokeswoman for Northern Rail, said: “We are aware of the problem and are looking into the root cause.

“There has been a suggestion that it might be to do with a software upgrade that is being carried out.”

The station renovation was funded by the Department for Transport’s National Station Improvement Programme, delivered in partnership by Northern Rail, Network Rail and Blackburn with Darwen Council.

Work included improving access, new shelters, electronic information screens and CCTV.

The platforms have also been resurfaced with new signage and fencing, and areas around the station have been landscaped to provide a more appealing entrance.

Just days after it was unveiled, four windows were smashed on a new shelter, leaving glass all over the floor, costing £1,000 to repair.