Over the past year, South West Trains has invested millions of pounds in everything from refurbished ticket offices to new toilets and shelters, and improved security. We meet the team who are justifiably proud of their award-winning stations.
Ten million pounds of investment and the rehousing of a couple of house martins, and Malcolm Page, Station Development Manager, South West Trains, is able to reflect on a successful year.
From new platform shelters to refurbished ticket halls, more CCTV to better lighting, Malcolm and his team have been working hard to enhance many stations across the network. The results speak for themselves. Several stations have won awards and commendations for their facilities, among them Surbiton—winner of the 2005 London Transport Station of the Year and London Cycle Awards Station of the Year—and Winchester—highly commended in the Rail Business Awards. And the latest National Passenger Survey reveals that 10% more passengers are satisfied with their station environment than they were in 2002.
The awards are a particular point of pride for Malcolm: “It goes to show that not only are we doing a good job but that a lot of the improvements we make are recognised by external organisations as being innovative.”
The station improvement work is a result of key partnerships with third-party investors, such as Network Rail, local authorities and Transport for London. The last 12 months have seen a boom in the number of these partnerships, which has, explains Malcolm, “significantly increased the amount of money we can spend at our stations”. Transport for London alone provided in excess of £3m towards safety and security at 53 stations in the London Metro area, resulting in enhancements to CCTV, improved lighting on platforms, in subways and over bridges, upgraded Help Points, additional waiting accommodation and cycle facilities.
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