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Wednesday 8 Aug 2018

Car park improvements completed at busy South Lakes station

Region & Route:

| North West & Central

As part of the Great North Rail Project, Network Rail and Virgin Trains have completed a makeover to the car park at Oxenholme station - the gateway to the Lake District.

Working with local taxi drivers and Tim Farron MP, the improvements involve a resurfaced car park with an enhanced layout, which includes improvements to two accessibility spaces, better drop-off bays, clearer spaces for taxis and new signs.

Tim Farron MP for Westmorland and Lonsdale said: “It’s great that Network Rail worked with local taxi drivers and myself to make sure these improvements met the needs of all users at the station.  With space at such a premium around Oxenholme station, I’m hopeful that these changes will make journeys smoother for passengers in the future.”

Patrick Cawley, director of route sponsorship at Network Rail said: “The car park at Oxenholme was in need of some attention and after numerous repairs, we decided to completely resurface the whole area to improve it for commuters and visitors to the area.

“We are grateful to the local taxi group and MP, Tim Farron, for their advice in planning this work, which has meant we’ve been able to allocate enough spaces to meet the different needs of users at the station.”

Louise Fairclough, Virgin Trains Station Manager at Oxenholme, said: “As the gateway to the Lake District, Oxenholme welcomes thousands of visitors every year and we know how important it is for many of them to get a taxi to their onward destination. Working in partnership with Network Rail we have made changes outside the main entrance, making journeys more seamless with an improved taxi rank and parking provisions. We’re pleased the work is now complete and would like to thank everyone for their patience and understanding. We’re sure the changes will improve the experience for customers travelling to and from Oxenholme station for many years to come.” 

The upgrade work at Oxenholme station forms part of the £5m track renewal works at the station and the wider Great North Rail Project - a rail industry programme to transform passenger journeys across the North of England. It is also in addition to £50,000 of flood prevention work completed in February this year to protect the station and railway.