The second phase of the £35m Clapham Junction rejuvenation project has begun, with the aims to provide better facilities and more space for passengers. The £15.5m works will improve passenger flow at the station, reducing congestion issues at one of London’s busiest interchanges.
The works will see a remodelling of the Brighton Yard entrance, creating spaces that will allow for the installation of wider gatelines, reducing the overcrowding problems, whilst improving accessibility.
Adrian Gogay, Network Rail, senior sponsor, said:
“Clapham Junction station is one of London’s busiest interchanges, situated at the heart of South West London and we believe it needs to be given some love to make it a more pleasant and enjoyable experience for passengers who are travelling to and from it.
“We welcome the major investment from the Department for Transport and are working closely with our partners to help improve and grow the station to make it more comfortable for passengers when travelling.
“So far, our teams have completed a series of improvements, including installing and rolling out free passenger Wi-Fi, refurbishing the lifts to improve accessibility, and repainting the overbridge from platform one to six.”
The ease of passage for commuters will enhance the passenger experiences as they travel through the station, however other improvements will also be mase to retail availability within the station. Space for five new retail units will also be built with plans to include new coffee shops and newsagents. Other accessibility measures will be implemented as improvements are also being made to the toilets and baby changing facilities for passengers, including those with restricted mobility.
Coming as part of the long-term plans for the station, the ticket office at Brighton Yard will be permanently closed moving forward, with a plethora of ticket machines being added. However, the ticket office at the St John’s Hill entrance will remain open for passengers.
Christian Neill, South Western Railway's customer experience director, said:
“Clapham Junction is one of the busiest and most important stations on our network, so we very much welcome this significant investment, which will help reduce congestion and make the station more attractive and accessible for customers. It has been fantastic to see the improvements made to date and we look forward to our customers seeing the full results of this £35m programme of work when it completes.”
Upon completion of these works, the third phase will be set to continue in December, where Network Rail engineers will replace and widen the current staircases on platform 13 and 14 to improve safety and allow for a higher volume of people to pass through at once, in turn reducing congestion.
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