Richard Fuller MP has welcomed the news that three stations in North East Bedfordshire: Arlesey, Biggleswade and Sandy, will benefit from improvements for passengers through the Passenger Benefit Fund.
In December 2018, the Government announced that it was holding Govia Thameslink Railway (GTR) to account for its unacceptable performance following the introduction of the May 2018 timetable and that they had to contribute £15 million into a Passenger Benefit Fund to provide “tangible improvements for passengers” and each station would receive a share of those funds.
Arlesey, Biggleswade and Sandy were each allocated £80,000 and there was a strong desire that passengers should be at the heart of the fund, with money spent on schemes decided by users of each station.
In the three stations in North East Bedfordshire, 88% of the improvements will be completed by the end of April this year, with the remainder being delivered by September 2021.
Commenting, Richard Fuller, Member of Parliament for North East Bedfordshire, said: “This is great news for rail passengers across North East Bedfordshire who will have improved facilities at these railway stations as a result of the Passenger Benefit Fund.
“My thanks go to the Rail User Groups and local passengers at each station for their efforts and input into deciding which improvements the programme would fund.
“Although many may not yet be commuting or using the railway as much as they were this time last year, these improvements will certainly make their commutes better when they return.”
A full breakdown of stations and how they will benefit is as follows:
Arlesey – £80,000
- Seating
- Cycle parking security
- Car park bay enlargement
Biggleswade – £80,000
- Landscaping
- Cycle Shelter
- Cycle ramps on stairs
- Defibrillator
Sandy – £80,000
- Landscaping
- Cycle Security
- Extension of PA System
- Customer Information Systems x2
