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Tuesday 8 Mar 2016

Better travelling experience for passengers as new footbridge opens at Pewsey station

Region & Route:

| Wales & Western: Western

| Wales & Western

Passengers travelling to and from Pewsey station will have an improved travelling experience after a new footbridge was installed by Network Rail and officially opened last Friday, 4 March, by Rail Minister and Devizes MP, Claire Perry.

The bridge was installed as part of the company’s £40bn Railway Upgrade Plan to provide a bigger, better, more reliable railway for passengers. The new footbridge benefits from an improved lighting system that spans its entire length, making it safer for passengers to use during the winter and at night.

Claire Perry MP led the official opening ceremony that was also attended by members of Network Rail’s orange army and representatives from train operator, Great Western Railway, who manage Pewsey station.

Mark Langman, Network Rail’s managing director for the Western route, said: “We’re really pleased that passengers can now benefit from this new bridge. Not only does it greatly improve the appearance of the station, but its modern lighting system makes it much safer to use.

“Over the next few years we will be carrying out extensive upgrade work in Wiltshire to bring Brunel’s railway into the 21^st century. This includes a new signalling system to provide greater reliability for passengers, helping to reduce delays and deliver smoother journeys.”

Matthew Golton, GWR’s commercial development director, said: "We at Great Western Railway recognise the key role that rail travel has in supporting the local and national economy and we are delighted that this improvement has been completed, providing better access for all who use the station.

“During the previous franchise, over £85m was invested across our network of 210 stations by working with industry partners, the Department for Transport and local authorities.”

ENDS

Notes to editors

About Network Rail’s Railway Upgrade Plan

The Railway Upgrade Plan is Network Rail’s £40bn spending plan for Britain’s railways for the five year period up to 31 March 2019. The plan is designed to provide more capacity, relieve crowding and respond to tremendous growth the railways have seen – a doubling of passengers in the past twenty years. The plan will deliver a bigger, better railway with more trains, longer trains, faster trains with more infrastructure, more reliable infrastructure and better facilities for passengers, especially at stations.