Newbury train station set for £18m makeover

Work is expected to start early in 2019

NEWBURY train station will get an £18m makeover next year.

Improvements will include refurbished waiting rooms and toilets, the creation of a 10-minute short-stay waiting zone, new parking areas and facilities for cyclists and disabled passengers.

Other improvements include a cycle hub within the station, new and increased secure cycle parking with CCTV, retail space and vending machines on the station.

The creation of a 20mph zone along Station Road and the introduction of improved drainage to prevent flooding are also planned.

The work will include the creation of a forecourt area, increased bus interchange facilities able to accommodate three buses and revised and clearly marked taxi areas.

There are also plans for a new two-storey office (incubator/business start-up) development within land to the south of the station and a relocated ticket hall/office.

A £6m grant has been secured from the Thames Valley Local Enterprise Partnership (LEP), while Network Rail will put in £3.9m and Great Western Railway (GWR) will pay almost £1.9m.

Developer Grainger, which is responsible for regenerating Market Street adjacent to the station, will make a £6.1m contribution.

A £450,000 grant from the Department for Transport’s Cycle Rail Fund will also go towards covering the cost.

Around 80 per cent of the £6m from the LEP – £4.7m – will be paid to GWR in stages.

The remaining £1.3m will go directly to West Berkshire Council to fund the improvements it is responsible for.

Under the current rules, the LEP can only award funding to councils.

So at a meeting last Thursday, West Berkshire councillors were asked to give permission for the local authority to enter into an agreement with GWR to carry out the work.

They voted unanimously in favour and as a result work is expected to start early in 2019.

According to papers published by the council, there were 1.68m passenger movements at the station in 2017 – an increase of 27 per cent over the past 10 years.

It is not yet clear how long the work will take to complete or what disruption lies in store for commuters.