Great Western Railway, working with Network Rail, Cheltenham Borough Council and Gloucestershire County Council has launched a four-week consultation on its plans to upgrade Cheltenham Spa railway station.
The proposed plans, scheduled for work to start in 2018 and be fully delivered by 2019, include:
- Improving the interchange for buses and taxis
- Creating a pedestrianised public space in the forecourt with more cycle parking space
- Increasing car parking space by adding a single deck to the existing car park
- Adding a walking and cycling link to Lansdown Road
This is in addition to the work being carried out by Network Rail which includes providing better accessibility at the station by installing passenger lifts, funded through the Department for Transport’s Access for All scheme, and lengthening platform two to better accommodate GWR’s new longer, faster, and more frequent Intercity Express Trains.
The various schemes will be funded by GFirst LEP, the Department for Transport, Network Rail, Great Western Railway and Gloucestershire County Council.
Cheltenham's MP Alex Chalk attended a Meet the Manager event held by Great Western Railway in support of the proposed project and said:
“I was delighted when the Government agreed to a multi-million pound improvement fund for Cheltenham Spa railway station. But we really do need to see some progress, not least to increase station parking capacity. Upgrading the facilities for the 2.5 million passenger journeys is vital for Cheltenham's future success, and I will continue to press for the earliest possible delivery of these key improvements."
New Intercity Express Trains are due to enter passenger service on the Great Western network shortly. With the completion of their delivery through journey service frequency from London to Cheltenham will be doubled off peak with hourly intercity services replacing almost all local services. Journey times from London to Cheltenham will be cut by around 12 minutes with a typical journey time of two hours and the fastest journey being a little under two hours.
GWR Regional Development Manager Lewis Ward said:
“Cheltenham Spa now sees over 2.5 million passenger journeys each year - a number which is steadily increasing. Our challenge is to ensure we balance the overall character of the station with the need to make the improvements we and our customer would like to see.
“These plans, in conjunction with our new Intercity Express Trains delivering more seats and more frequent journeys, will provide a much improved travelling experience, further supporting rail users and the local economy.”
Victoria Bradley, Commercial Scheme Sponsor at Network Rail, said:
“We welcome the opportunity to work with Great Western Railway and our other partners to deliver the improvements we know passengers want to see at Cheltenham.
“Improving accessibility across our rail network forms an important part of our Railway Upgrade Plan, and the improvements we have planned for Cheltenham will make travelling by train much easier for the huge numbers of passengers travelling on this part of the Great Western Main Line.”
Leader of Cheltenham Borough Council Steve Jordan said:
“It is important that improvements are made at the station particularly with the ever increasing number of people using it each year. We have worked hard with partners to secure the funding to make this happen and I am pleased that we should soon be seeing the benefits.”