In a further enhancement of customer experience, London North Eastern Railway (LNER) has opened two new waiting rooms to further improve the environment for people using Durham railway station.
London North Eastern Railway has 11 managed stations, and Durham is the latest phase in the company's £800,000 investment in station waiting rooms across its estate.
The new waiting rooms, which are located at the north end of each of the station's two platforms, provide passengers with a modern glass waiting area that has a contemporary colour scheme of white and silver and is equipped with the latest technology to provide customers with the latest travel information.
With seating for up to 40 people and fully accessible, the new waiting rooms will assist people in waiting in the correct area to board their train, which will enhance punctuality by making customer boarding simpler and smoother.
Among the enhancements to the waiting rooms is a community art installation that celebrates Durham's rich history and railway heritage. The vibrant mural for Durham station was created by local young people from the Cheesy Waffles project, with London North Eastern Railway working in partnership with North-East-based charity, The Key, which uses community projects that commission works to help young people develop their skills and realise their potential.
By making major investments in waiting rooms across its route, London North Eastern Railway is demonstrating a commitment to its customers by ensuring that their experience at every station is of a consistently high standard for the customers and communities it serves.
Claire Ansley, LNER's Customer Experience and People Director, said: “At LNER we pride ourselves in providing our customers with the very best possible travel experience. These two new purpose-built waiting areas in Durham offer a bright and comfortable area for customers to relax and recharge, with USB and plug socket charging points for phones and laptops built into leather seating. These new facilities complement our two other recently refurbished waiting areas at the station, making the Durham station experience even better than it was before.”
Thye will be most welcome and most useful, at the north ends of both platforms. Most of the cover at this station is at the south end and, given the bleak exposure of the rest of the platforms, provision of these facilities is long overdue.
Perhaps the best waiting room is the ‘Waiting Room’ pub on platform 2?
The waiting room looks very nice. Nice work LNER.