£50 million England railway station makeover announced

Date: 18/11/2009

Ten railway stations in England have been marked for a £50 million makeover to improve the passenger experience.

The station improvement funding will be supplemented by commercial and third-party contributions from train operators.

An independent Station Champions report called for a list of minimum station standards for all of Britain’s rail stations that would improve the passenger facilities and encourage more people to consider rail travel.

Secretary for transport Andrew Adonis said he “welcomed” the report and intends to make minimum standards a requirement for future franchise agreements.

“Train travel has improved a good deal in recent years, but more needs to be done to improve conditions and services for passengers at stations,” he noted.

Department for Transport plans had previously earmarked a £5 billion rail station improvement programme for the next five years.

The ten stations earmarked under the £50 million fund are Clapham Junction, Barking, Stockport, Manchester Victoria, Preston, Wigan North Western, Liverpool Central, Warrington Bank Quay, Crewe and Luton.