A £700,000 makeover at Warrington’s Central Station will be officially unveiled today – 16 months later than originally planned and eight months later than a revised completion date fixed last July.
In fact, workmen were still busy with the finishing touches yesterday.
But the emphasis at today’s event – to be attended by Minister of State for Transport Theresa Villiers – will be on the benefits to passengers from the Government’s £150 million National Stations Improvement Programme (NSIP).
Warrington Central is the 150th station to be improved as part of the programme and with only £61m of the £150m so far spent, many more stations will see improvements in the next few years.
Work at Warrington should have started in January last year, when it was stated it would take three months to complete.
It actually started in July and was expected to take five months.
A new modern entrance, canopy and illuminated signs have transformed the outside of the station building, which dates from around 1873 – only 44 years after Stephenson’s Rocket won the legendary Rainhill Trials which preceded the opening of the Liverpool-Manchester line.
The ticket hall has been completely revamped and the existing shop expanded. Access for passengers is improved with new steps and a disabled access ramp.
In addition to funding from NSIP, there have been contributions from Network Rail, First TransPennine Express, Warrington Borough Council and Golden Square Shopping Centre.
Theresa Villiers said: “Train travel continues to grow in popularity which is why the Government is committed to continued investment in the railways. Large-scale initiatives such as Crossrail, Thameslink, High Speed Rail and our plans to introduce an extra 2,100 carriages onto the rail network by 2019 aim to improve travel for passengers and stimulate wider economic growth.
“The National Stations Improvement Programme is a vital part of our overall investment because it helps to transform individual passengers’ experiences. I am delighted that we have reached this important milestone because it means hundreds of thousands of passengers are now benefiting from better facilities and hence better rail journeys.”
Cllr Terry O’Neill, leader of Warrington Borough Council, said: “The works undertaken at Central Station offer our residents and regular commuters access to better facilities and give those visiting us for the first time a warmer welcome to Warrington. Thanks to this scheme and the previous installation of lifts, the station is now fully accessible for all users and the council has been pleased to be able to work in such close partnership with the rail industry to deliver these major improvements.”
David Mowat, MP for Warrington South said: “The work at Central Station has transformed the front of the station almost beyond recognition and visitors to Warrington from Manchester, Liverpool and Leeds will now recognise Warrington as a great place to live and to do business in.”
Pictured: the new station entrance
Station makeover unveiled – at last
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Gary Skentelbery
Experienced journalist for more than 40 years. Managing Director of magazine publishing group with three in-house titles and on-line daily newspaper for Warrington. Experienced writer, photographer, PR consultant and media expert having written for local, regional and national newspapers. Specialties: PR, media, social networking, photographer, networking, advertising, sales, media crisis management. Former Chair of Warrington Healthwatch Director Warrington Chamber of Commerce Patron Tim Parry Johnathan Ball Foundation for Peace. Patron Warrington Disability Partnership. Former Chairman of Warrington Town FC.
4 Comments
This was a complete and utter waste of money. Yes its an improvement, but Central was far from desperate for this improvement. Birchwood has repeatedly been refused funding for improved access for disabled / prams to the Liverpool platform, yet FTPE said they couldnt afford it.
Suddenly the money is found for this cosmetic face lift. Why not save this an contrbute to the new Chapelford station which looks never likley to happen or improve Birchwood.
BTW this will have no effect on rail journeys. All operators from Central still suffer chronic overcrowding.
Now that the station has completed probably the longest facelift on record, let’s see if we can do something about the derelict car park that is also known as Winwick Street (just add one cinema and some entertainment)
What a total waste of money, just like the “improvements” at Warrington Bank Quay. Using this station make you feel like being in the Victorian era. The facilities are still not up to standard, hardly clean and certainly not open 24/7 when rail passengers need them. What we need are real improvements to these public transport areas to lure people back onto the Railways together with improvements at Birchwood and the new station at Chapelford. Can WBC take a lead and encourage business to invest?
The weeds and plants growing out of the back wall of the station (visible from Midland Way) make the station look like some kind of derelict building. Can’t believe it’s been overlooked after spending 700 grand on the front doors.