Passengers at Royston station in Hertfordshire will benefit from two temporary staircases which are being installed by Network Rail next month whilst the footbridge is in receipt of major improvement work.
The two staircases will save Great Northern and Thameslink passenger time when switching between platforms whilst the footbridge is under repair.
The station serves the town of Royston and is on the Cambridge Line with and is an important commuter line between King's Cross and Cambridge.
The footbridge connects platforms 1 and 2, and has been closed following an inspection which revealed serious structural defects. A major improvement project is needed to make sure that the footbridge is safe and fit for use for years to come.
When the footbridge closed, Great Northern provided extra members of staff to help passengers use a lengthy diversion which involved walking out and around the station and crossing an adjacent road bridge.
Network Rail has created a shortcut by installing the temporary staircases from each platform directly to the road bridge, cutting out part of the long diversion and saving passengers time.
The temporary staircases are expected to stay in place for around 12 months and during this time teams will be working as quickly as possible to design and plan a project which will re-instate access between the two platforms. Plans will also be underway during this time to improve accessibility at the station.
Paul Rutter, Route Director for Network Rail's East Coast route, said: “We would like to thank passengers for their patience whilst the footbridge at Royston station is closed, and we apologise for any inconvenience. Our teams will be working as quickly as possible to provide this temporary route over the railway to connect passengers to the platforms.
“We are continuing to develop plans to improve accessibility for people using the station as well as making sure the existing footbridge can be used safely and reliably in future.”
Jenny Saunders, Customer Services Director for Great Northern and Thameslink, said: “These new temporary staircases will be welcomed by our customers at Royston station as they'll save them having to walk quite so far to swap platforms.
“We'll continue to work closely with Paul and his team at Network Rail to establish the best long-term solution, with an eye to improving accessibility.”
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