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Thursday 9 Dec 2004

PASSENGERS SAFE, WARM & DRY AT CLACTON STATION

Region & Route:

| Southern

Date:                           Thursday 9 December 2004 Time:                          15.00 Location:                    Clacton station Event:                         Official opening of the new station facilities at Clacton-on-Sea Photocall with Ivan Henderson MP, Gavin Stollar, Network Rail Public Affairs Manager and Mark Tye, ‘one’ station manager Media contact:          Laura Dobson 020 7557 8103 As temperatures continue to drop this winter, passengers at Clacton station will be able to keep warm and dry in the comfort of a new waiting room.  A new CCTV system has also been installed to improve security on the station.  Jon Wiseman, Network Rail Route Director said: “Getting people from A to B on time is important to the rail industry, but so are station amenities.  Stations are the gateway to travel by rail and form a vital part of the journey experience for passengers.  Comfortable stations with modern facilities are an important part of our continued programme to re-build the railway.” Over £400,000 has been invested in the new facilities, to address key priorities of passenger comfort and safety.  The work was funded by the Strategic Rail Authority (SRA) and delivered by Network Rail as part of the £25 million Modern Facilities at Stations (MFAS) scheme, providing enhanced station facilities at 68 stations across the country.  In this area, Wivenhoe station has also recently benefited from a new waiting room.    The new facilities at Clacton were today officially opened by Ivan Henderson, MP for Harwich, who said: "The SRA and Network Rail are to be congratulated for recognising the need to maximise security and comfort for passengers on stations.  The new waiting room at Clacton Station and the introduction of CCTV coverage will be welcomed by all of the passengers using the facilities" Mark Tye, ‘one’ Duty Station Manager at Clacton, added: “The improvements at Clacton have greatly enhanced the station environment, creating a warm, comfortable area for passengers to wait for trains.  It will be a great benefit to our customers using the station, particularly at this time of year.   CCTV will also be a welcome addition to the existing station facilities”.