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Monday 11 Dec 2023

New footbridge at Royston station opens for passengers

Region & Route:

Eastern

| Eastern: East Coast

Network Rail and Govia Thameslink Railway (GTR), which operates Thameslink and Great Northern trains, have today (Monday 11 December) opened a new footbridge at Royston railway station.

The newly opened footbridge replaces the previous footbridge, which had to be closed in 2020 for safety reasons. The newly built footbridge is being opened in a phased way, with further work to install lifts to the structure set to complete in early 2024. However, opening it now means that station users will no longer have to use the bridge on Kneesworth Street to switch platforms, helping to improve passenger experience.

Work on the multi-million-pound project began in November 2022 and, once fully complete, the new bridge will provide step-free access between platforms. This will make it much easier for those with limited mobility, families with pushchairs and travellers with heavy luggage to move around the station.

In addition to work which Network Rail have done to build the brand-new footbridge, GTR have constructed a new step-free route from the main station entrance to Platform 1, via the car park. This includes a 35-metre pavement with handrails and dropped kerbs with tactile paving.

Jonny Ham, Lead Portfolio Manager for Network Rail, said: “It’s positive news for passengers that the new footbridge at Royston railway station has now been built, and that station users no longer have to exit and re-enter the station to move between platforms.

“There is still further work to do as we need to install lifts to the bridge. This has taken us longer than planned, and we’re sorry for the delay. We look forward to completing this work and opening up travel opportunities for more people.”

Jenny Saunders, GTR’s Customer Services Director, said: “The new footbridge is great news for our customers. It’s a welcome milestone on this huge investment that will make the railway here easier to use for many people. These big projects, together with the smaller related improvements we’ve made, are crucial parts of our drive to create a more accessible and inclusive railway, where everyone has the confidence to travel no matter what their need for assistance.”