Smitham station gets the green light
Wed 24 Jun 2009
A new station building has been given the go-ahead which will bring real and lasting improvements for the thousands of passengers using Smitham station each year
Work on the scheme will start in the autumn and is scheduled for completion by early 2010. The current station building was built over 100 years ago and the structure and facilities need replacing. Through the national stations improvement programme, Smitham station will be upgraded with a modern building, and will also benefit from increased seating for passengers, more bicycle parking facilities and step-free access between the entrance and platforms for passengers with reduced mobility. The new building will also be easier for railway staff to maintain and provide more resistance to vandalism.
Fiona Taylor, Network Rail’s route director for Sussex, said: “This is great news for Smitham passengers. The station building is well beyond its useful life and needs to be upgraded to provide facilities which are more appropriate for the modern passenger.
“The modular building design has already proven a success after a similar project at Mitcham Eastfields won rail station of the year at the 2009 London Transport Awards. It will not only improve the look and functionality of the station, we will be able to install it in way which will minimise disruption for passengers.”
The area immediately surrounding the station has recently benefited from a road modernisation scheme which has improved pedestrian and vehicle access to the station. The platform, footbridge and approach areas have also undergone some refurbishment, so the upgrade of the station building will complete the regeneration of the area.
Paul Trevett,
facilities manager, Southern said: “We are delighted that the residents of Smitham will be getting the station they expect and deserve. The new station will provide users with excellent facilities and the station itself will contribute greatly towards the area. This new station should more than meet the requirements of the area for many years to come.”
In addition to the many passenger benefits, Network Rail estimates that the maintenance costs at the station could be reduced by up to 75% as a result of the new building, as a significant proportion of these costs currently gets used to mend and patch-up the existing building. These cost savings can then be invested elsewhere within the railway network.
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