PARKING struggles, clogged streets and hit-and-miss bus connections could soon be a thing of the past for Darton commuters after almost £700,000 was signed off to transform the area around the village’s railway station.

Barnsley Council has secured £699,841 in funding through the South Yorkshire Mayoral Combined Authority’s City Region Sustainable Transport Settlement to deliver the project.

The plans focus on the every day frustrations that discourage people from choosing the train, from cars spilling onto narrow side streets when the station car park is full, to confusing routes between parking areas and the platforms, and the lack of real-time information for bus passengers trying to make a connection.

The scheme will see the station’s pavilion demolished to make way for an expanded and resurfaced car park, giving drivers more space and reducing the knock-on congestion through Darton’s tight road network.

New signs will make it clearer for motorists, cyclists and pedestrians to find their way to the platforms, including from the remote car park behind the Co-op, where many travellers currently risk missing their train while working out the route.

Passengers waiting for a bus on Church Street will also benefit from modernised shelters fitted with real-time information screens, making bus and rail connections feel more reliable.

Cyclists are set to gain too, with new storage and better links to Darton’s recently improved walking and cycling routes, encouraging more people to pedal the last stretch of their journey rather than drive.

A report said: “The station’s car park is already at capacity, and with new housing developments in the pipeline, demand is only expected to rise.

“Without action, the problems Darton already faces with congestion and overspill parking are likely to worsen.”

Construction is scheduled to last around five months, with work pencilled in for the winter.