UNTIL today it was difficult to think of any more exasperation which could be heaped on people who have to use Blackburn railway station.

First they had to wait an extra year while hold-ups dogged the schedule for the £5million redevelopment scheme and spend months picking their way on

to platforms through mud, rain and a maze of scaffolding on a building site.

While all this was going on an already often unreliable railway service deteriorated even further.

Services on the East Lancs line, and especially the cross country trains, brought complaints from travellers and frustrated commuters who have to use the Clitheroe, Blackburn, Bolton, Manchester line formed their own action group and protested to MPs about infuriating almost daily delays.

Then there was the nonsense about the row between First North Western and Railtrack which meant the brand new, pristine waiting room and toilets remained locked up because electronic customer information screens had not been put into service (although they were hanging impressively over the platforms).

Today we hear, incredibly, that the message for anyone who has problems getting up lengthy ramps to the freezing, wind and rainswept platforms is, in effect: "Bad luck."

The reason? Those 'in charge' of running our railways are not opening the brand spanking new lift, which is 100% ready, until they can get every member of staff who might come into contact with it to a single training session.

That could be weeks yet because they don't wanting to have to pay for two sessions although they admit "the actual training is quite a short procedure."

This treatment of the fare paying public speaks volumes for the state of our public transport system.

It is a disgrace.