Transport Minister Baroness Kramer has visited Wokingham to unveil completed renovations at the 400th station to benefit from a £220 million national scheme to improve facilities for passengers.
Wokingham Station has been completely refurbished as part of the National Stations Improvement Programme (NSIP). Set up 5 years ago with £150 million of government funding, NSIP has brought better stations to millions of passengers in England and Wales.
The £6 million project at Wokingham has been funded by NSIP, in partnership with South West Trains, Network Rail and Wokingham Borough Council. It has secured significant benefits for the station’s passengers including:
- a modern new station building
- an improved transport interchange for taxis, buses and car users and a drop-off area
- a new, bigger waiting area with more seating
- a larger booking hall and improved ticket facilities
- state-of-the-art passenger information screens
- new toilets including wheelchair accessible facilities
- a new cafe
Baroness Kramer said:
“This scheme to improve our stations has been a real success, and Wokingham, the 400th station to benefit, is a great example. We have delivered £220 million worth of improvements to 400 stations in England and Wales.
It is making a real difference to the people who use our railways and is a great example of the rail industry working with local partners to benefit passengers and communities. The government is investing record amounts into transforming our railways and I look forward to the continued success of this programme.”