Network Rail has begun work building new staircases, a footbridge extension and ticket gates for platforms 3 and 4 at Surbiton Station in Surrey
The upgrade will bring improved passenger safety and will also impact positively on journey times as passenger levels increase following the Covid pandemic.
The £6.7 million Department for Transport (DfT) funded project is expected to complete by the end of May 2022 and will see the number of tickets gates double from 8 to 16.
Surbiton is a very busy station and sits as the eighth busiest station on Network Rail's Wessex route, seeing almost 9.5 million passengers passing through from 2019 to 2020.
The work will enable passengers to move more smoothly through the station and also speed up exiting from the station. The project will bring an end to passengers having to queue on a single set of stairs which has sometimes caused South Western Railway (SWR) trains delays on leaving when travelling toward Guildford, Hampton Court and Woking.
Credit: Network Rail
The preparatory stages of the work are currently underway with the main work set to start later in October and will see engineers removing part of the station building on platforms three and four and also the southern staircase which leads to the public footbridge.
Members of the public can still access the footbridge throughout the project, and lifts will operate as usual.
From Wednesday the 27th of October and Sunday the 14th of November:
Members of the public will need to be redirected using the passenger side of the footbridge whilst the public side is temporarily closed.
A dedicated team of staff members will be on hand to provide assistance. This is to allow the staircase on Glenbuck Road to be demolished on Sunday the 7th of November.
From Monday the 15th of November:
The public side will be reopened with a new, temporary entrance to the footpath connecting to the passenger side staircase on Glenbuck Road.
The weekends of 22nd & 23rd and 29th & 30th of January:
The public side will be closed with members of the public once again being redirected via the passenger side of the footbridge, with staff providing assistance.
The iconic art deco style station building is a well-known local landmark which dates back to 1937 when it was rebuilt using designs by the chief architect of the Southern Railway, James Robb Scott. The station building was made a Grade II listed structure by Historic England during October 1983, when it was marked as an ‘important building of special interest'.
Network Rail recognise the need to protect the station's rich heritage, and the improvements being made to the station have been made in collaboration with The Royal Borough of Kingston Upon Thames, Historic England, The Railway Heritage Trust, The Design Council and The Twentieth Century Society.
Mark Killick, Network Rail's Wessex route director, said: “Surbiton station is one of the busiest on our route and its modernist façade is a famous local landmark, however, it has just one staircase to the footbridge from platforms three and four. Currently passengers have to use very narrow parts of the platforms to exit which can lead to congestion on the platforms and prevent trains from being dispatched on time.
“The improvements will respect the station's rich heritage and will improve safety and keep trains running on time by making it easier to exit. I'd like to thank passengers for their patience while we carry out this essential work and we are working with colleagues at SWR to keep disruption to a minimum.”
Alan Penlington, SWR's customer experience director, said: “The work Network Rail is carrying out will see a welcome reduction in congestion at Surbiton station during the evening peak which will help customers exit the station more easily and reduce delays. The addition of a new staircase will mean platforms can clear more quickly allowing our teams to safely dispatch trains and keep services running on time.
“There will be some disruption whilst the works take place as routes around the station and the car park change. I'd like to thank customers for their patience and understanding whilst these essential works are carried out.”
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But Surbiton is in Southwest London in the Royal Borough of Kingston upon Thames. But it once was in Surrey.
Surrey! Surbiton is synonymous with Surrey and despite being in the political area of The Royal Borough of Kingston-upon-Thames is is still widely known as being Surrey