PILOT SCHEME SEES CLEAN UP FOR READING STATION

Friday 7 Mar 2003

PILOT SCHEME SEES CLEAN UP FOR READING STATION

Region & Route:: | Wales & Western: Wales & Borders; | Wales & Western: Western; | Wales & Western

A pilot scheme to clean up areas in and around Reading Station and to improve the station environment is now well under way. Work carried out so far has seen the removal of a considerable amount of unwanted vegetation, the securing of an old building and the painting out of graffiti on lineside buildings. Next to be tackled by the operational contracts team based at Swindon is the litter uncovered after the vegetation clearance. A cross industry forum called Project Clean Up and Crime was set up last year and chose Reading as a pilot for a clean up scheme. Now absorbed into one of Network Rail’s Action Plans, the Project is tasked with finding around thirty other sites on the rail network that could benefit from similar treatment. Project Manager Jeremy Bullock said: “ Most of Network Rail’s work to deliver a safe and reliable railway involves vital behind-the-scenes engineering. But the visual impact of the infrastructure is also important for users of the railway. The improvements made at Reading have been significant, leading to a cleaner environment and safety for customers. We look forward to repeating this success at other sites around the network.” The Reading clean-up is expected to cost about £20,000.

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