Work to start in 2021 on rail station upgrade
The Flying Scotsman shoots through March rail station in 2017 Improvements to start in 2021 will mean the station itself is upgraded, with new facilities and an extended car park. PHOTO: Harry Rutter - Credit: Archant
Work will start next year on a massive upgrade to March rail station to include an open plan ticket hall and waiting area, shops and an extended car park.
Greater Anglia director Simone Bailey, said: “As we plan for a green recovery after Covid, it is essential that rail travel is attractive and convenient.”
The rail operator said the work was in line with a public consultation and funding support has come from the Cambridgeshire and Peterborough Combined Authority.
The work will see Greater Anglia create an open-plan ticket hall and waiting area, accessible modern toilet facilities, retail outlets, and an upgraded and extended car park at the station.
The project has been led by the Combined Authority as part of its £9.5m Fenland stations regeneration programme.
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Greater Anglia said it had been driven by Fenland District Council on behalf of the Hereward Community Rail Partnership.
The partnership was set up to improve passenger facilities at the three Fenland stations – Manea, March and Whittlesea – along the Ely to Peterborough Hereward Line.
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Ms Bailey said: “The preferred public design will go forward, following completion of the tender exercise, to detailed design and construction from spring next year.”
Mayor James Palmer said improved transport links for Fenland “is an absolute priority for me”.
Cllr Chris Seaton (right) who has led the Fenland Council initiative on rail travel. With him (from left) at a function are (from left): Cllr Steve Count, Mayor James Palmer, MP Steve Barclay and former police commissioner Jason Ablewhite - Credit: Archant
He said: “Rail must be a reliable, comfortable option if it is to get people off the roads and help us push carbon emissions to net-zero.
“Currently if you live in places like March a car is not optional; it is essential. That is why we need to give residents the transport connections they need to make the choices that are right for them, their families, and society as a whole.”
Cllr Chris Seaton, Fenland District Council’s portfolio holder for transport, said: “I’m delighted that community engagement remained at the forefront of the March station project this year, despite the Covid pandemic, allowing it to stay on target for completion next year.
"These wide-ranging improvements will breathe new life into this historic station, resulting in a more modern environment and better facilities for rail passengers and the local community."
Passengers using March station can expect better facilities from 2021 - Credit: Archant
The work is expected to be completed by the end of 2021.
So far under the Fenland stations regeneration project, Greater Anglia has installed new waiting shelters at Manea and Whittlesea, new cycle facilities at March and completed feasibility studies and outline designs for new car parks at all three stations.
