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Tuesday, May 18th, 2010

Transport for Buckinghamshire and Chiltern Railways have been working hard to upgrade Aylesbury Station to encourage increased train travel and get the station ready for the Olympics.  Over £1m is being invested to enhance access and facilities at the station.  This programme is well on track with the new station lifts now open, making all platforms fully accessible.

A £650,000 scheme, involving the installation of lifts to make the station fully accessible has just been completed.  This has been funded jointly by the Department for Transport ‘Access for All’ grant, the Rail Industry and growth funding provided via Aylesbury Vale Advantage. 

A further £400,000 scheme is being developed by Chiltern Railways to enlarge the ticket hall and waiting area.  Work is expected to start later this year.  All of these station works complement the other recent town centre improvements including the Transport Hub, Bourg Walk and improved cycling and walking infrastructure.  Collectively these investments will help cater for the expected growth of the town.

Valerie Letheren, Cabinet Member for Transport for Buckinghamshire said:  “These improvements will mean that there will be step free access between trains, the town centre and the bus network.”  She continued:  “It is good to see what can be achieved by bringing funding together from various sources and this scheme will complement the work so far in Aylesbury to improve walking, cycling and bus travel around the town.”

These improvements will mean better access to the town for members of the public travelling to the Olympics in 2012, along with enhanced access to the Paralympic training venue at Stoke Mandeville Statium.

Richard Harrington, Managing Director of Aylesbury Vale Advantage said:  “This is the result of a successful collaboration that combines public and private funds to improve Aylesbury’s facilities and increases accessibility to new and existing customers.”

Graham Cross, Business Development Director at Chiltern Railways said:  “We understand the importance of our stations being accessible for all and we work hard to make sure that passengers who have accessibility requirements get the same high levels of customer service.  We’re delighted that we now have lifts at Aylesbury station and we’re looking forward to delivering the next stage of this investment to further enhance the station environment.”