The upgrade of Maidstone East railway station making good process as the new station entrance has been completed this week.
Part of a £2.5m project to expand the station, the new station entrance is part of a town centre regeneration led by Kent County Council.
The remainder of the upgrade to the station, which has regular services to London, should be completed this spring, and will include new facilities including a cafe, waiting room and ticket office.
The work at Maidstone East railway station, which is the main station in town, will also see the exterior get a new roof and a spacious landscaped entrance.
The project is funded through the National Stations Improvement Programme with the South East Local Enterprise Partnership's Local Growth Fund programme.
Work started back in September 2019 and has seen some setbacks due to the pandemic, but will soon be ready for increased passenger numbers once restrictions are lifted.
Maidstone East is the main station in the town and has regular services to London.
Fiona Taylor, Network Rail's Route Director for Kent, said: “This milestone is another step closer to the completion of our Maidstone East station transformation and is an excellent example of the railway working in partnership with local authorities and third parties for the benefit of passengers, communities and businesses in Kent.”
Michael Payne, KCC's Cabinet Member for Highways and Transport, said: “We are delighted to see the that this impressive new station forecourt is nearing completion. The street scene now is clearly a vast improvement and it helps redefine Maidstone East as a destination station and a gateway to the town centre. This investment clearly gives further weight to the campaign supported by KCC for a better and faster Thameslink train service to connect Maidstone with the city of London”.
Caroline Wallis, Southeastern manager for Maidstone East station said: “We're really pleased with how the upgrade to our station is progressing. It looks great and it is a much more pleasant environment. As more passengers return over the coming months I'm sure they will be impressed with how the gateway to their town is looking.”
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The Class 707s are to operate on the Maidstone Line as Southeastern have inherited them from South Western Railway. But nice job on the station building at Maidstone East.
The 707s are metro trains anf will run on services from Dartford and Sevenoaks to London.