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Thursday 20 Feb 2014

New Footbridge at St Neots station unveiled

Region & Route:

| Eastern

Passengers and locals at St Neots are benefitting from improved access in and around the station after Network Rail completed a new £6m footbridge.

The scheme, which involves a new footbridge and lifts, provides step free access to all platforms as well a link between the Love Farm Housing development and town centre.

Yesterday (19 February 2014) representatives from First Capital Connect, Huntingdonshire District Council, St Neots Town Council, Network Rail and Cambridgeshire County Council came to celebrate the official completion of the scheme.

The footbridge and lifts are also designed to provide passengers with a safe and secure environment and have good lighting, CCTV and telephones.

Jonathan Djanogly MP said: “I am delighted to see the new footbridge now in place and serving the local community, which has grown significantly in this area. In particular, I am very pleased that disabled people in St. Neots will now be properly catered for at the station. This is good news for St. Neots.”

Keith Jipps, customer service director for First Capital Connect said: “We are delighted with the new footbridge here at St Neots which will be a huge benefit for all our passengers.

“The number of people who use the station has increased by nearly a third since 2006 and we hope that the community is as pleased with the finished result as we are.

“With improved accessibility also being introduced at Hitchin, Letchworth and Stevenage, we are really opening up the Great Northern route to all potential passengers including people with restricted mobility, heavy luggage and passengers with prams.”

Phil Verster, Route Managing Director for Network Rail, added: “Stations are important gateways to the communities they serve. In the case of St Neots, the new footbridge also helps to improve connections within the community. Crucially we now have a station which is more accessible for all passengers, whether they are wheelchairs users, have reduced mobility or just carrying luggage or pushchairs. I thank the community for their patience whilst we delivered this project. We will continue to work with our stakeholders to improve accessibility around our network.”

Councillor Jason Ablewhite, Executive Leader of Huntingdonshire District Council, “I know that I join my fellow Councillors Barry Chapman and Paula Longford in saying that it is particularly pleasing to see the completion of this project. It will undoubtedly prove to be of immense benefit to the people of St Neots and the surrounding communities by providing accessibility to the rail network for everyone, and ensuring the station is fit for 21^st century travel.

“The crossing of the railway that now connects Love’s Farm to the town is also a great step forward. I would like to thank all those who have been involved in delivering this challenging project which shows that, with effort and dedication, the correct result can be achieved on time and to budget.”

Cambridgeshire County Councillor Ian Bates, Cabinet Member for Growth and Infrastructure, said: "I am pleased to see this new bridge open to the public and that we, with partners, have been able to help fund its construction. This is part of the County Council's commitment to improve access and link up areas of new development to public transport. It means residents have a greater choice of how they travel as well as improving their quality of life, reducing congestion and boosting the local economy."