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Thursday 19 May 2011

STATION UPGRADE GIVES CLAPHAM JUNCTION A BIG LIFT

Region & Route:

| Southern: Wessex

| Southern

Tens of thousands of passengers who use Clapham Junction every day will benefit from better access, less congestion and improved facilities following the official opening today of the new entrance and nine new lifts at the station.

The entrance, which has been out of use for over half a century, has been restored to provide an easier way into one of Britain's busiest stations from St John's Hill, and when combined with the installation of the lifts, marks the completion of a £14.5m makeover for the station. The upgrade, which was funded by Department for Transport, South West Trains, Wandsworth council, Transport for London, Network Rail and the Railway Heritage Trust, also includes new ticketing facilities, travel information screens and toilets in a fully-refurbished ticket hall, together with new shops. Outside the building a taxi and car pick-up and drop-off point has been created and cycle racks for up to 72 bikes have been installed.

Funded through the government’s Access for All programme, the creation of the step-free route into the station and from the over-bridge to all platforms will make the station fully accessible for everyone, particularly those with reduced mobility, heavy luggage or young children. It will help reduce congestion in the subway and main entrance as it provides an alternative way into the station for anyone coming from St John’s Hill.

Transport Minister, Norman Baker, said: “Train travel continues to grow in popularity and everyone should be able to benefit from this - that’s why the government is investing £370m through our Access for All scheme which aims to make railway stations more accessible. In addition, our National Stations Improvement Programme continues to provide funds to modernise stations across the network.

“These schemes have enabled us to support the improvements at Clapham Junction with more than £13.2m of funding.”

Funding has been provided by TfL through the Mayor of London’s Great Outdoors programme for additional improvements, including a new forecourt and taxi rank.

The Mayor of London Boris Johnson said: “Clapham Junction is one of the busiest stations in the capital, with thousands of commuters and travellers relying on it every day to get around this great city.

“The fantastic new entrance means it is more accessible, brighter and much easier to negotiate. With much-needed traffic improvements and new taxi ranks also installed outside the station, the whole area will now be a calmer place to travel through."

Robin Gisby, Network Rail’s director of operations and customer services, said: “Clapham Junction is a good example of the significant progress we are making to deliver stations which better meet the changing needs of passengers and increase capacity on the busy network. The improvements make the most of the funding we had available and address as many of the things we know are important to people who use the station as possible, including access, congestion, facilities and better connections.”

Andy Pitt, managing director for South West Trains said: "We're pleased to have played our part in delivering these important improvements at Clapham Junction. With around 41m journeys through the station every year, it's by far the biggest interchange station on the UK rail network, and the new entrance and lifts will help to ease congestion around the station and provide significantly improved access for our passengers."

Councillor Ravi Govindia, leader of Wandsworth Council, said: “By giving people a new way into the station we will take the pressure of the main entrance by as much as 25 per cent and create more breathing space in the jam-packed subway tunnel. Anyone who travels though Clapham Junction will understand how important it is that the overcrowding problems are tackled and we will continue to work with the rail authorities to make sure conditions continue to improve.”