Press release -
£1.7 million invested into station improvements across UK’s largest railway network
Some £1.7 million has been allocated to improve stations across the country’s largest railway network – following a bumper year of projects at stations across London and the south east.
Passengers travelling across Govia Thameslink Railway’s network of 236 stations will have noticed a raft of changes designed to make stations more accessible for passengers.
From new information screens in Brighton to better bike parking in Huntingdon, teams have been hard at work across the network to deliver projects set out in the Minor Works Fund and Station Improvement Fund.
And following on from the success of the 2024/25 funding tranche, Govia Thameslink Railway, which operates Southern, Thameslink, Great Northern and Gatwick Express, has secured £1.739m for the current financial year from the Department for Transport.
The annual funds are dedicated to enhancing the station environment with improvements which make travel easier for passengers.
Louis Rambaud, chief customer officer for Govia Thameslink Railway, said: “These funds help us to deliver our goal of creating great journeys every day.
“While we have major projects under way, including introducing digital signals and renovating our fleet of Electrostar trains, these smaller schemes also go a very long way for the passengers who use our stations every day.
"We take pride in the environments in and around our stations, and want them to be welcoming, safe and comfortable for all.
“I’d like to thank our passengers and station teams who tell us about the ways we can make each journey even just a little bit better than the last.”
Some 51 improvement projects have been planned for the coming year – ranging from building new, heritage-style shelters, to installing additional CCTV cameras to make stations safer.
Highlights include:
Network-wide:
- Additional ten 3D maps at key stations
- Bedford
- St Albans City
- Stevenage
- West Hampstead Thameslink
- Sutton
- Balham
- Redhill
- Three Bridges
- Haywards Heath
- Eastbourne
- Touch-screen information boards
- Improving CCTV at 20 Thameslink and Great Northern stations based on crime data
North of London:
- Introduce access to retail park next to Luton Airport Parkway station
- Accessibility improvements to Hitchin station cafe
- Wheelchair access to Downham Market ticket office
- Improved facility for rail replacement bus passengers at Royston station
London:
- Design work for a Changing Places facility at Peckham Rye station
- Relocate ticket office at Elephant and Castle due to the redevelopment of the wider area, and planned reopening of a second entrance to the station
South of London:
- Survey and design work to remodel toilets at Brighton station
- Build two high-quality, heritage-style shelters at Lewes station
- Preparation for a second gateline at Worthing station
- More secure bike parking at Chichester station, accessible via a key fob
Among the improvements which have been completed in the past year is the rollout of 5 interactive screens, which offer passengers key information on their journey at their fingertips.
The screens, which are at Brighton, Gatwick Airport, East Croydon and Finsbury Park, also feature a British Sign Language departure board – so that passengers with hearing loss can understand station announcements and navigate stations with confidence.
Elsewhere on the network, a trial of ten 3D maps to help passengers plan their journey through some of the railway’s larger stations has proved such a success, ten more have been commissioned for stations across the Thameslink, Southern and Great Northern network.
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For more information, contact the press office on 0203 750 2031.
Govia Thameslink Railway
Govia Thameslink Railway (GTR) operates Thameslink, Great Northern, Southern and Gatwick Express services as follows:
- Thameslink – cross-London services between Bedford/Peterborough/Cambridge and Brighton/Horsham/East Grinstead, and between Luton/St Albans and Sutton/Wimbledon/Rainham; plus services between London and Sevenoaks
- Great Northern – services between London and Welwyn, Hertford, Peterborough, Cambridge and King’s Lynn
- Southern – services between London and the Sussex coast (Brighton, Worthing, Eastbourne, Bognor Regis, Hastings) and parts of Surrey, Kent and Hampshire (Ashford International, Southampton, Portsmouth)
- Gatwick Express – fast, non-stop direct services between Gatwick Airport and London Victoria
www.southernrailway.com, www.thameslinkrailway.com, www.gatwickexpress.com, www.greatnorthernrail.com
