Published on: Wednesday, 21 October 2015
Last updated: Wednesday, 5 October 2016
Passengers using Newmarket rail station are to benefit from new facilities, thanks a partnership project which will see around £100K invested in improving the station.
Abellio Greater Anglia, Newmarket Racecourses, Jockey Club Estates, Tattersalls (Europe’s leading bloodstock auctioneers), Suffolk County Council and Suffolk Coasts and Heaths Area Of Outstanding Natural Beauty, are working together to invest in the station and create an improved gateway to the Suffolk town whose name has become synonymous with horse racing.
Work started last week and will include the replacement of all signs which will in future promote the town’s heritage with the slogan, ‘Newmarket – Home of Horse Racing’.
The station, on the Ipswich – Cambridge line, has received a new digital LED Customer Service Screen to provide train running information in a clear, easy to read format and will also benefit from the installation of new wooden benches, a new waiting shelter and a new cycle shelter.
The station will also benefit from the installation of a new Scheidt & Bachman card-only ticket machine which will, for the first time, allow customers to purchase ‘walk up and go’ tickets and collect pre-paid tickets and tickets which have been bought online.
When purchasing a ticket, the screen will also display relevant information concerning any travel restrictions that may apply to a particular ticket type, helping to ensure that customers are easily able to purchase the correct and most appropriate ticket for their intended journey.
The platforms will be jet-washed and the edging has been repainted. Hanging baskets and large planters will also be installed on the platforms to create a warmer welcome for station users.
The car park will also be repaired and relined and landscaping on the approach road will be improved.
Abellio Greater Anglia’s Area Customer Service Manager, James Steward, said, “This is a significant upgrade to Newmarket station which will create an improved ambience and pleasant station environment for our customers. Abellio Greater Anglia is committed to upgrades at stations across the network to improve the travelling experience.”
Amy Starkey, Regional Director of Jockey Club Racecourses, the owner of Newmarket Racecourses, said: “Newmarket Racecourses and Tattersalls are delighted to be making a significant contribution to improvements to Newmarket railway station as we strive to create a warm welcome to passengers arriving at the Home of Horse Racing.
“Newmarket is at the centre of the horse racing and bloodstock industries, which are major employers and investors in this part of East Anglia, and we want to celebrate this long history and heritage on our railway network. This is a step forward as we seek to continue the improvements to Newmarket’s environment.”