'It is totally, totally wrong' - Sunderland businesses have their say on Northern Rail decision to close Sunderland Station for most of the run up to Christmas

Yolanda Branch is less than impressed by the decision to close Sunderland’s central station just in time for the busiest shopping week of the year.

Rail chiefs announced the station will be closed from Sunday, December 18, until Christmas Eve, except for a nine-and-a-half hour window on Tuesday, December 20, slashing the services supposed to be stopping at the station ahead of Christmas Day.

Northern Rail, which runs the station, has now reduced the closures, after the news provoked an angry response from Sunderland’s three Labour MPs – Julie Elliott, Sharon Hodgson and Bridget Phillipson – who wrote to Transport Secretary Mark Harper urging him to take action over what they have called an ‘unacceptable decision’.

The station will now operate reduced hours on Tuesday and Wednesday and fully close on Christmas Eve, but be open at other times.

Yolanda, lead book seller at Waterstone’s in The Bridges, said the closure was compounding problems in the run-up to the Big Day already being caused by postal strikes and rail disputes.

"This is 100 per cent our busiest week of the year,” she said.

While Park Lane was still open, it meant a difficult walk for some customers, especially with the snow and ice of recent days still on the ground.

"We have already had one customer come in and come plain that walking in was a bit of a hazard,” she said.

Matty Thoburn, who runs Thoburn’s fruit and veg in Jacky White’s market, is furious at the decision: “This is the busiest week of our entire year, so this is really difficult for us,” he said.

"It is totally, totally wrong.”

The recent rail strikes, which have closed the line between Pelaw and Sunderland, and closure of the line between Park Lane and South Hylton due to an electrical fault, had already had a serious impact.

“Footfall in the market is down by at last 40 per cent,” said Matty.

Stuart Pullen, behind the counter at Geeky’s in Waterloo Place, said the closure was ‘a terrible idea’ and was depressing an already struggling city centre.

"I have been in retail for 20 years and this is the quietest I have ever seen it,” he said.

"Last year we had to have three people working on a Sunday – now we can get by with one.”