Train stations in London and the South West have shared £16 million of additional funding ahead of this summer’s Olympic and Paralympic Games.
Stations benefiting from the financial boost include Wimbledon, which will cater for visitors to the Olympic tennis tournament at the All England Club, and Weymouth, which will be the venue for the 2012 sailing events.
Other stations to receive additional funding to carry out upgrades are Vauxhall, Windsor & Eton Riverside, Southampton Central and Clapham Junction.
Tim Shoveller, managing director of the South West Trains-Network Rail alliance, said: “More than £16 million has been invested by our alliance and stakeholders in upgrading our stations to improve passenger journeys to the Olympic and Paralympic Games.
“As well as going the extra mile for the British Olympic sailing team by providing generous and on-going support, we have also pulled out all the stops for passengers travelling to and from the Olympics by providing the maximum available additional capacity on our services.”
Weymouth station in Dorset now has refurbished toilets and a wheelchair accessible toilet, a new waiting room and waiting shelter, a resurfaced car park, levelled access to the station, and a new retail unit.
In Wimbledon, investment from the London Borough of Merton, the ODA and the South West Trains-Network Rail alliance has delivered a new forecourt, refurbished waiting rooms and seen the station repainted. The lower concourse has also been rejuvenated, incorporating new retail units. Access to the lifts at Wimbledon station has also been improved and the toilets and disabled toilet have all been refurbished.
A transport hub for the region, Southampton Central station welcomes almost six million passengers through its doors every year.
A £2.4 million programme of improvements at the facility has included a new art deco style station frontage, an improved transport interchange for taxis and buses, and a drop-off area.
The project has also delivered a new and enlarged waiting area with additional seating, a larger booking hall and improved ticket facilities, state-of-the-art destination information screens, new toilets and a wheelchair accessible toilet.
