New look for Runcorn station

22 February 2008

Runcorn railway station has a new look following the completion of a £650,000 refurbishment programme. The work reflects the importance of the station to a growing number of business and leisure customers.

A First Class Lounge and Standard Class waiting area have been provided, which will be served by a new retail outlet, which opens at the beginning of March. The booking office and retail area has been moved and upgraded, and access improved for mobility impaired customers.

Station staff have also benefited from the refurbishment work with a much-improved ticket office and staff accommodation.

Externally, the dated 1960s appearance of the station has been enhanced with the provision of new cladding. Funding for the work has also come from Network Rail.

The new station facilities were jointly opened today by Derek Twigg, MP for Halton and a regular user of the station, and Virgin Trains’ Station Manager (Runcorn and Liverpool) Keith Millard.

Derek Twigg MP said: “I am delighted that this substantial investment has been made in Runcorn Station. I have consistently lobbied Virgin Trains to improve facilities at Runcorn and I am pleased to say that they have listened and responded positively. It is very important that such a crucial gateway into Halton is attractive and welcoming. This funding builds upon the already considerable investment made to modernise the West Coast Main Line.I am delighted to be opening this refurbished facility for rail users.”

Virgin Trains Station Manager Keith Millard said: “We have a high quality train service, using state-of-the-art tilting Pendolino trains from Runcorn to London and now we have a high quality station to complement the trains. We are confident that the improved facilities at the station will encourage more environmentally-conscious motorists to ditch the car and take the train.”

Network Rail's Territory Buildings Engineer Patrick Cawley said: "As well as the £150,000 we have contributed towards the refurbishment of the station buildings, we have actively sought to partner and support Virgin in the delivery of this project both financially and by providing technical assistance and engineering support to their project team. This is one of many partnership approaches that Network Rail takes with its customers when delivering renewals and train company funded enhancements."

The improvements to the station buildings mark the first stage of an investment package for Runcorn. Work is due to start this Spring on increasing the number of car parking spaces at the station. The scheme, which will take around 12 months to complete, will create a three-deck car park and create an additional 198 spaces at the station.

For further media information contact the Virgin Trains Press Office on 0845 000 3333.

Notes to Editors

Images of Virgin Trains and the company’s operations are available on our online media website www.virgintrainsmediaroom.com. You will need to register to access the Media Resources section containing high-resolution images of our operations.

Virgin Trains is the brand name of Virgin Rail Group. We have operated the West Coast passenger train franchise since 1997; the current franchise runs to March 2012.

Virgin Rail Group is owned 51 percent by Virgin Group and 49 percent by Stagecoach

Virgin Trains has recently been listed as the Best Train Operator in a survey by the Institute of Customer Service; came joint top of the long-distance train operators for passenger satisfaction in the National Passenger Survey and has been voted Best Rail Company by Travel Weekly magazine

Virgin Trains currently operates 15 trains each way on weekdays on the Liverpool-Runcorn-London route. From 2009 we will be adding three more trains each way and around 25 minutes will be slashed from the journey time. From Runcorn, all trains will take under two hours to reach London. Over 340,000 extra seats will be provided on the Liverpool-Runcorn-London route every year.

During last year passenger numbers on the Liverpool-Runcorn-London route increased by around 14% percent, with almost 20,000 journeys being made every week. In the same period the average fare paid has dropped by over 13% as more passenger take advantage of the cheaper advance fares on offer. Across its entire network Virgin Trains offers over 25,000 cheap tickets, but recently revealed that up to 5,000 each day are not bought.