Car parks at railway stations across East Anglia have undergone a makeover to smarten them up and make them more welcoming for customers.
Rail operator, Greater Anglia has invested more than £34,000 to improve car parking at Cheshunt, Dovercourt, Harling Road, Hatfield Peverel, Hockley, North Fambridge, Prittlewell, Rochford, Sawbridgeworth, South Woodham Ferrers, Stowmarket, Thorpe-Le- Soken, Whittlesford Parkway and Wivenhoe stations bringing them right up to date with new markings and tarmac surfaces repaired.
Due to the work carried out, the car park now complies with Equality legislation by making sure that accessible parking spaces are clearly marked and that each of the car parks features the right number of accessible spaces and that appropriate distancing is maintained between vehicles and accessible bays.
The project got underway at the end of February and was complete by the end of March.
Greater Anglia's Asset Management Director, Simone Bailey, said: “I'm pleased that these station car parks have received a much-needed upgrade and are now ready to welcome passengers with easy and convenient parking as they return to the railway.”
Greater Anglia has also brought in a new pay-by-hour tariff at 31 of its station car parks which will give customers a more budget-friendly choice if they do not need to park for the full day. The new tariff will allow people to park for up to four hours at a rate of £1 per hour which is perfect for short trips or visiting locations close to the stations.
No change has been made to other tariffs and prices which have remained the same since 2020
Stations which have the new hourly charge are Audley End, Billericay, Bishop's Stortford, Broxbourne, Cambridge North, Chelmsford, Cheshunt, Colchester, Diss, Ely, Harlow Town, Hatfield Peverel, Ingatestone, Ipswich, Kelvedon, Manningtree, Mark Tey, Rayleigh, Shenfield, Whittlesford, Wickford and Witham. All of these stations now feature Automatic Number Plate Recognition and will also it much easier and quicker to pay up to 24 hours after parking.
Further to the new tariffs, Greater Anglia will also bring in an hourly rate for Hockley, Lowestoft, March, Prittlewell, Rochford, Stowmarket, Waltham Cross, Ware and Wivenhoe stations with customers able to pay for parking using Pay By Phone.
Still no news on a new station building to be built at Wickford railway station since the old station building was demolished. When platform 1 was extended to accommodate the 5-Car Class 720 trains working the Crouch Valley Line shuttle service to Southminster.