£750,000 REVAMP OF NEW BARNET STATION COMPLETE (original) (raw)

Tuesday 22 Nov 2005

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A partnership comprising Network Rail, Wagn and Transport for London (TfL) has completed the refurbishment of New Barnet station in a £750,000 programme of work. Contractors on behalf of Network Rail have carried out a sympathetic restoration of the station buildings and platform canopies, bringing them up to modern standards while retaining the existing style of the station. The platform lighting has also been completely renewed. Graham Botham, Network Rail Area General Manager, said: “I am delighted that passengers are now benefitting from the vast improvements at New Barnet, which have seen the station restored to its former glory. Stations are the gateway to travel by rail and we are committed to providing comfortable and modern facilities to improve the journey experience for passengers.” On completion of the structural work, Wagn continued its investment into improving the environment at stations with a new coffee shop, station signage, toilet facilities and outside lighting. In addition, New Barnet has benefitted from Wagn’s £4 million programme to install state-of-the-art Customer Information Screens and Public Address systems at all its stations. TfL London Rail funded waiting shelters, customer help points and CCTV cameras covering the footbridge, booking hall and platforms one and two, as part of a £494,720 investment to deliver safety and security improvements at eight stations on the Great Northern Route into London. Ian Brown, Managing Director of TfL London Rail said: “Passenger safety is of paramount importance to TfL. Although not part of the TfL network, improving security on rail in London is a top priority as we want to encourage greater use of public transport. These improvements are part of TfL’s £10bn 5-year Investment Programme to improve and expand London’s transport network.” Commenting on the ‘new look’ station, Wagn’s Route Director James Adeshiyan said: “New Barnet really is a station we can all be proud of. I know there has been something of a wait but I am now delighted to be able to offer my customers a station with modern facilities, where they can obtain a cup of coffee, use the toilet and wait in comfortable accommodation for their train. “I am very grateful to both Network Rail and TfL for making such a positive contribution to this scheme which has graphically demonstrated just how much can be achieved when individual parties with a common goal combine forces in a single enterprise.”

About Network Rail

We own, operate and develop Britain's railway infrastructure; that's 20,000 miles of track, 30,000 bridges, tunnels and viaducts and the thousands of signals, level crossings and stations. We run 20 of the UK's largest stations while all the others, over 2,500, are run by the country's train operating companies.

Usually, there are almost five million journeys made in the UK and over 600 freight trains run on the network. People depend on Britain's railway for their daily commute, to visit friends and loved ones and to get them home safe every day. Our role is to deliver a safe and reliable railway, so we carefully manage and deliver thousands of projects every year that form part of the multi-billion pound Railway Upgrade Plan, to grow and expand the nation's railway network to respond to the tremendous growth and demand the railway has experienced - a doubling of passenger journeys over the past 20 years.