£13m investment programme in customer facilities at key Essex stations

National Express train companies National Express East Anglia (NXEA) and c2c are working in partnership with Network Rail to improve customer facilities at seven Essex rail stations with funding from the Department for Transport’s National Stations Improvement Programme (NSIP).

The Essex stations to be upgraded through this Programme are:

• NXEA stations at Billericay, Brentwood, Colchester and Marks Tey;
• c2c stations at Chafford Hundred, Shoeburyness and Southend East;
• NXEA station at Waltham Cross in Hertfordshire will also be upgraded under the NSIP scheme.

In assessing which stations would most benefit from investment and improvements Network Rail and the train operators used various criteria in considering how to improve station capacity, provide better customer information, improve safety, security and accessibility, and develop interchanges with other forms of transport. Customer feedback from the twice-yearly National Passenger Survey was also assessed in deciding which stations should be prioritised for improvement work.

An information leaflet for customers and stakeholders providing more details of the improvement works is being prepared for each station to benefit from the NSIP investment. Although the scope of the works – which are due to commence from Autumn 2010 – will vary according to the location, amongst the type of improvement to feature as a result of the investment is: new and improved ticket office and booking hall areas, new waiting shelters and retail outlets, improvements to station accessibility and station forecourts.

Commenting on the investment programme, Andrew Goodrum, Customer Services Director for NXEA said:

“We are working with Network Rail and our external partners to develop these improvement schemes which will help to transform the customer facilities at a number of our stations in Essex. Feedback from the National Passenger Survey has been instrumental in our criteria to select the stations most deserving of this welcome investment from the Department for Transport’s NSIP fund.”

Andrew Munden, Network Rail route director, said:

“This programme of investment will give passengers what they want – safer, brighter, more spacious stations providing an improved environment for everyone travelling by train. Britain relies on rail and the planned new facilities are a great example of how the rail industry is working together to bring Britain’s stations into the 21st century, encouraging even greater use of the railway network.”