Farnborough station benefits from opening of new station interchange concourse

Sept. 7, 2010 - PRLog -- South West Trains and Stagecoach South joined forces to formally open the new redesigned bus and coach interchange at Farnborough station. The refurbished station forecourt area has been equipped with real time information screens and shelters and the newly opened dedicated  bus and coach area will allow Stagecoach South to start operating its popular VIP bus service, Goldline, into the station. The high quality Goldline buses will provide a high frequency service from the railway station every 10 minutes all day Mondays to Saturdays. The destinations served are Aldershot, Farnborough, Frimley, Camberley and Old Dean.

The station forecourt has also been equipped with new dedicated taxi lanes as well as a 20 minute waiting and pick up area. In addition the scheme has created safe walking routes and has improved the overall safety at the station as well as reducing congestion.

The start of the second phase of works has also been announced today by Network Rail. This will include the construction of a new footbridge and two new lifts, funded through the Department for Transport’s Access for All scheme, providing passengers with step-free access between the station entrance and the platforms making the railway more accessible for everyone.  This work is due to begin in September/October and is expected to be completed in Spring 2011. During the same period, the Department for Transport will also fund an additional 132 cycle spaces which will be delivered by South West Trains.

At the official opening, guests were invited to try out the Stagecoach Goldline service and see the new interchange concourse which was officially opened by Andy Pitt, Managing Director of South West Trains and Andrew Dyer, Managing Director of Stagecoach South.

Transport Minister Mike Penning said: "I am pleased to see these improvements being delivered for passengers at Farnborough.

“The Government’s funding for the new cycling facilities and footbridge will not only make getting to and from the station easier, but will help reduce local road congestion and offer a healthier travel option for those who might otherwise have left their bikes at home."

Commenting, Andy Pitt, South West Trains’ Managing Director said:  “We are extremely pleased to be working with our colleagues in Stagecoach South to deliver this new interchange facility.  Passengers using Farnborough station can now benefit from direct access to Goldline buses, providing fast and frequent, high quality links onto our train services.  

“We hope the new bus service, coupled with the access improvements being delivered in partnership with Network Rail, will encourage even more people to start travelling by train.”

Andrew Dyer, Stagecoach South Managing Director said, “Stagecoach South is proud to be involved in the project which we hope will be a great success. We would also like to pay tribute to our partners at Hampshire County Council who contributed substantial funding for the interchange scheme.“  

Richard O’Brien, Route Director for Wessex at Network Rail, said: “Good rail links are vital for connecting people and businesses.  Passengers in Farnborough rely on rail for 2.8m journeys every year, reflecting its importance to the community and local economy.  Once finished, this investment will make a big difference for passengers, especially those with reduced mobility, small children or heavy luggage, and will make the station easier to use, safer and more accessible for everyone.”  

The work has been planned to keep disruption for passengers and the community to a minimum.  

In addition to Andy Pitt from South West Trains, Andrew Dyer Managing Director from Stagecoach South, and Richard O’Brien from Network Rail, representatives from all the partners involved attended, helping to mark the official opening of this very valuable station improvement scheme.

http://www.southwesttrains.co.uk

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Stagecoach Group is a leading international public transport group, with extensive operations in the UK, United States and Canada. The company employs 30,000 people, and operates bus, coach, rail, and tram services.
Stagecoach is one of UK's biggest bus and coach operators, running around 7,000 vehicles from south-west England to the Highlands and Islands of Scotland and carrying around 2 million passengers every day.
Stagecoach is a major UK rail operator, running the South West Trains, Island Line and East Midlands Trains networks. It has a 49% shareholding in Virgin Rail Group, which operates the West Coast inter-city rail franchise.
Stagecoach is also Britain's biggest tram operator, running networks in both Sheffield and Manchester.