Thursday 1 Sep 2011
NETWORK RAIL PUBLISHES RECOMMENDATIONS TO TACKLE CONGESTION AT STATIONS
- Region & Route:
- National
Network Rail today published an analysis of passenger congestion at stations along with a toolkit of potential measures for the industry to address congestion at stations around the network.
Congestion can affect passengers at smaller stations as much as at the big termini in major cities. The report – the Network Route Utilisation Strategy: Stations – recommends that action is taken to identify the measures needed to relieve passenger congestion at 11 stations by 2019, including Clapham Junction, London Victoria and Liverpool Lime Street.
Paul Plummer, Network Rail’s group strategy director, said: “A successful railway station should add to the passenger experience as well as support the economic, social and environmental benefits of rail. As more and more people choose to travel by rail, it’s vital that passenger congestion is tackled or some stations risk becoming victims of their own success.
“Working with our partners from across the rail industry, we have identified a number of stations that would benefit from cost effective measures to reduce congestion and improve the travelling experience for passengers.”
Today’s publication takes in to account comments received following the publication of the draft route utilisation strategy for consultation in May 2011.
Notes to editors
The analysis looked at stations not covered by committed enhancement schemes such as those at Birmingham New Street and Reading.
It is recommended that interventions are investigated to understand and address crowding by the end of Control Period 5 in 2019 at the following stations: Basingstoke, Bristol Parkway, Clapham Junction, Liverpool Lime Street, London Charing Cross, London Fenchurch Street, London Victoria, Preston, Surbiton, Watford Junction and Wimbledon.
For more information about the stations network route utilisation strategy, go to: http://www.networkrail.co.uk/aspx/4449.aspx.
Network Route Utilisation Strategies provide a network-wide perspective to support rail planning. The process is led by Network Rail on behalf of the rail industry. A number of rail industry organisations are involved in the process including train operating companies, Association of Train Operating Companies, London TravelWatch, Office of Rail Regulation (as an observer), Passenger Focus, Passenger Transport Executive Group, Department for Transport, Transport for London, Transport Scotland and the Welsh Government.
Contact information
Passengers / community members
Network Rail national helpline
03457 11 41 41
Latest travel advice
Please visit National Rail Enquiries
Journalists
Network Rail press office - National
020 3356 8700
mediarelations@networkrail.co.uk
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.
Follow us on Twitter: @networkrail
Visit our online newsroom: www.networkrailmediacentre.co.uk