Transport for Greater Manchester has announced a £450,000 scheme to increase the Park and Ride capacity at Mills Hill railway station.
The work begins today (29th March) and will see the number of spaces increase from around 24 unlined spaces to 58 spaces including three which will be fully accessible and three extra-wide spaces.
In addition to the increase in parking spaces, new lighting and CCTV will be installed at the station.
Motorbike parking, a one-way system and resurfacing work are all part of the plans.
While the work is completed the car park will be closed until July 2021.
A new ramp and lift were installed at Mills Hill railway station last year which has helped to improve access for people with mobility issues.
The work at Mills Hill is part of a number of recent and planned schemes across the region.
Work is due to start at Walkden station this summer, along with Radcliffe and Whitefield.
Councillor Mark Aldred, Chair of the Greater Manchester Transport Committee, said: “Schemes like this are so important if we want to encourage people to make the switch to more sustainable forms of transport.
“Park and ride schemes give people an incentive to leave the car behind, even if it is only for part of their journey, which will be crucial in helping us to cut harmful emissions and reduce the volumes of traffic clogging up our roads.”
“Over the next 12 months, we'll be delivering more than 700 extra park and ride spaces to key transport hubs, so I'm delighted with the progress being made.”
Chris Jackson, Regional Director at Northern, said: “I would like to ask our customers for their patience while improvement work is carried out.
“We are working hard to make sure our stations are safe, accessible and welcoming places for our customers, and I am confident that these enhanced facilities at Mills Hill will be welcomed.”
“The work to the car park forms part of our A Better Way to Go campaign, demonstrating the hard work that has taken place as we continue to transform rail travel in the north and I'd like to thank everyone who has been involved.”
“The campaign, which will be seen in stations, on-trains and online, will also cover improvements such as improved CCTV onboard trains and in stations, our new state-of-the-art new trains as well as fully refurbished trains and much more.”
Karen Hornby, Head of Stations and Customer Relationship for Network Rail, said: “After our recent work to improve accessibility at Mills Hill station as part of the government's Access for All scheme, the park and ride expansion is more fantastic news for passengers.2
“These improvements will help to make a real difference to journeys as we look forward to welcoming more passengers back to the railway.”
Councillor John Blundell, cabinet member for a thriving economy at Rochdale Borough Council, said: “As we continue to address the climate emergency, it's imperative that we make it as easy as possible for people to make sustainable travel choices and these improvements will do just that.”
“Our incredible public transport links are a massive asset for Rochdale borough and that's why they form a key part of our future regeneration plans, which are outlined in our new rail strategy. We intend to continue to work with our colleagues at TfGM and Northern to push for even more improvements to our stations and this is a really important step in the right direction.”
Where Next?
RAILADVENT NEWS
The latest railway news
FREE NEWSLETTERS
Signup to our daily and weekly newsletters
RAILADVENT SHOP
Prints, DVD's, Clocks, Mouse Mats and more!
LOCOSTOP COMMUNITY
Come and share your railway pictures
UK STEAM INFO
Upcoming mainline steam tours/loco movements
Transport for Greater Manchester
Visit their website
Why is it taking so long to complete the work? It should have been completed in July!