Investment of £1.7m to improve railway stations

A rail operator is making £1.7m of upgrades to stations across its network in the South East.

Govia Thameslink Railway (GTR), which has 236 stations on its network spanning across Kent, Sussex, Surrey, London and areas north of London including Peterborough and Cambridge, said the funds allowed it to make a "raft of improvements".

The funding has been provided by the Department for Transport (DfT) to improve passenger experience when travelling.

Among the upgrades GTR is making is the introduction of 3D maps at 10 more stations, including Redhill, Three Bridges, Haywards Heath and Eastbourne.

The maps allow disabled passengers to travel with "more independence" and help them to identify staircases, lifts, and ticket gates on bespoke aerial maps of stations.

New interactive screens have also been installed at five stations, including Brighton and Gatwick Airport.

They feature a British Sign Language departure board, to help passengers with hearing loss to understand station announcements and navigate stations.

Further improvements include more secure bike parking at Chichester station, preparation for a second ticket gate line at Worthing station and two new heritage-style shelters at Lewes station.

Louis Rambaud, chief customer officer for Govia Thameslink Railway, said: "These funds help us to deliver our goal of creating great journeys every day.

"We take pride in the environments in and around our stations, and want them to be welcoming, safe and comfortable for all."

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