Published on: Friday, 17 January 2020
Last updated: Friday, 17 January 2020
Passenger numbers at Manningtree rail station grew by 2.6% last year, figures show.
Over 1.1 million entries and exits were recorded at the station from January to December 2019, meaning over 10,500 people passed through every week, according to data from the Office of Rail and Road.
Greater Anglia is in the process of expanding the car park at Manningtree to help accommodate the additional passengers, creating 220 additional spaces once work is completed early next year, bringing the total to more than 800.
Martin Moran, Greater Anglia’s Commercial, Customer Service and Train Presentation Director, said, “With the rising costs of travelling by car, increasingly congested roads and the need for all of us to reduce our carbon footprint, more and more people are choosing to travel by train.
“We expect that as we continue to transform rail travel in East Anglia with our brand-new fleet of longer trains and upgraded stations, and with our great value fares including Groupsave, kids for £2 and advance fares, even more people will make the switch.”
The first new train to serve Essex stations – one of Greater Anglia’s brand new intercity trains - came into passenger service earlier this month, calling at Manningtree and Colchester.
Between now and Easter, all of the company’s new intercity trains will come into passenger service, including services calling at Chelmsford.
This week, the first of Greater Anglia’s new electric commuter trains, made by Bombardier, arrived for testing on the network, due to enter passenger service in the Spring.