Published on: Monday, 8 February 2016
Last updated: Wednesday, 5 October 2016
Passengers using Newmarket rail station arebenefitting from new facilities, thanks to the completion of a partnership led projectwhich has seen £100k invested in improvements at the Suffolk station.
Abellio Greater Anglia, NewmarketRacecourses, Jockey Club Estates, Tattersalls (Europe’s leading bloodstockauctioneers), Suffolk County Council and Suffolk Coasts & Heaths Area OfOutstanding Natural Beauty have worked together to invest in the station andcreate an improved gateway to the Suffolk town, synonymous with horse racing.The partners welcomed Rt. Hon Matthew Hancock, MP for West Suffolk to declareopen the improved station on Friday 5 February.
The station, on the Ipswich to Cambridgeline, has received a new digital LED Customer Information Screen to providetrain running information in a clear, easy to read format, along with the installationof new wooden benches, waiting shelters and improved cycle parking.
A new card-only automatic ticket machine hasalso been installed, which will, for the first time, allow customers topurchase ‘walk up and go’ tickets and collect pre-paid tickets and ticketswhich have been bought online.
All the station signs have been replacedand renewed to promote the partnership.
The station platforms have been jet-washedand the edging repainted, together with repairs to the car park which has been relinedand landscaping improved on the approach road.
Abellio Greater Anglia’s Area CustomerService Manager, James Steward, said, “This is a significant upgrade toNewmarket station, improving the passenger facilities and creating a more pleasantenvironment for our customers. I am grateful to all our partners who havecontributed to the project and we look forward to working together in thefuture to boost the profile of Newmarket still further.”
Rt. Hon. Matthew Hancock MP said: “More andmore people are using rail services to and from Newmarket, so it is great newsthat commuters are set to benefit from the £100,000 fund to make NewmarketRailway Station more accessible to all who use it.
“By investing in improving services andfacilities, we are investing in Newmarket’s future. I look forward to openingthe improved parts of the station on Friday, and will continue to do all I canto help secure more frequent services for residents, commuters and visitors inthe town”.
Amy Starkey, Regional Director of JockeyClub Racecourses, the owner of Newmarket Racecourses, said: “Newmarket Racecoursesand Tattersalls are delighted to have made a significant contribution toimprovements to Newmarket station as we strive to create a warm welcome topassengers arriving at the Home of Horse Racing.
“Newmarket is at the centre of the horseracing and bloodstock industries, which are major employers and investors inthis part of East Anglia, and we want to celebrate this long history andheritage on our railway network. This isa step forward as we seek to continue the improvements to Newmarket’s environment.”