08.06.12
£4m accessibility project for Slough station
Access for All improvements have been completed at Slough station, ahead of the Olympic Games.
Birse Rail delivered the £4m project for Network Rail to increase accessibility to the station, which will be a major transport hub for Olympic rowing events this summer. Three lifts and a new footbridge were installed to provide step-free access between the station entrance and all six platforms.
Patrick Hallgate, Network Rail’s route managing director, said: “Thousands of people living and working in Sloughrely on the railway every day. The improvements we’re making to the station will make life easier for everyone to use the train, especially those with reduced mobility or with young children, and is part of a wider effort to stimulate the local economy through better transport links.
“We know the 2012 Olympics will be an important time for Slough as spectators will be travelling to Eton Dorney as it is the venue for the Rowing, Paralympic Rowing and Canoe Sprint events. The improvements at Slough are an example of the real legacy and investment that London 2012 is bringing beyond the capital.”
Slough’s deputy council leader, Cllr James Swindlehurst said: “We wantSloughto be an attractive destination for travellers, and arriving here to be pleasant and easy. The works at Slough station complement the work Slough Borough Council is doing to improve other gateways into the town.
“Given that Slough railway station is a major transport hub for the Olympic rowing events at Eton Dorney, we hope the improvements to the station will offer an enhanced travelling experience to the thousands of spectators and athletes expected to visit the area.”
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