Westgate-on-Sea station has received a £800,000 replacement footbridge with stepped access between the station’s two platforms over the tracks of the Chatham Main Line.
Network Rail designed, manufactured and erected the new steel bridge while improvements took place to the staircase, surfacing, tactile strips, and handrails.
The travel experience for passengers will also be enhanced with station cleaning taking place along with teams tidying buses and hedgerows.
The construction works such as the new bridge foundations and other improvements were carried out in stages, with minimal disruption to the station users.
These works also allowed for improvements to CCTV coverage and security for station users.
Westgate-on-Sea railway station is on the Chatham Main Line and serving the town of Westgate-on-Sea, Kent. It is 72 miles down the line from London Victoria and is situated between Birchington-on-Sea and Margate.
Fiona Taylor, route director at Network Rail said: “The work at Westgate-on-Sea is part of our Railway Upgrade Plan, making journeys better for customers while giving the community a station they can be proud of.
“The replacement of this life expired asset is vital to improve the reliability of journeys for our passengers and I thank the community for their patience while we completed this essential upgrade.”
Jon Sandford, Station Manager for Southeastern at Westgate-on-Sea, said: “We’re always wanting to do more for our passengers and this new footbridge not only ensures that passengers will be able to safely cross the railway for generations to come, but also improves the appearance of the station.
“We’re grateful to Network Rail for completing this work in a way that minimised disruption to our passengers’ journeys.”
Image: Network Rail
