Great Northern open sustainable station cycle hub in Bedfordshire

Credit: Great Northern

Great Northern have opened new cycle parking hub at Biggleswade station in Bedfordshire, the hub will help to promote greener travel in the community. With storage for up to 44 bikes in a secure area accessed only by a fob available for free from the ticket office, it also has CCTV, two charging bays for electric bikes and a maintenance area.

“We are delighted to open this great new facility for our passengers at Biggleswade station and we hope that offering a more secure place to lock up bikes, as well as electric bike charging facilities, will encourage more passengers to go green and cycle to the station,” Jenny Saunders, Customer Service Director for Thameslink and Great Northern, said. “Travelling by train and bike is the most environmentally-friendly travel combination, and through our station improvement programme, we’re working with local communities to make our stations even more sustainable.”

The hub has been funded by the Department for Transport’s cycle rail fund, being managed by Sustrans, the sustainable transport charity, with further funding from Central Bedfordshire Council. The government fund aims to improve cycling facilities at stations, promote economic growth, improve journeys, and encourage environmentally friendly transport to cut carbon. Encouraging bike journeys to stations is also high on the agenda as a way of encouraging people to get out and enjoy active travel as part of their journeys.

Further improvements to Biggleswade station are planned, including the installation of lifts and an accessible toilet as part of Network Rail’s Access for All scheme, and a new bus interchange funded by Central Beds Council.