April 4, 2014 1.22 pm This story is over 118 months old

Revamped Lincoln train station opens for passengers

New look station The station hall at Lincoln Central has undergone a significant refurb.

Passengers at Lincoln Central train station can now make use of a revamped ticket office.

The £250,000 project by East Midlands Trains and Network Rail and carried out by B&K Services opened for use on April 4.

The changes offer passengers an improved entrance, brighter station hall with glass frontage to the ticket office, and slight reconfiguration for better flow in and out of the station.

As well as inside the station hall, there are improvements to cycling facilities, such as shelters and CCTV.

The station also now has free WiFi, new benches on the platforms and information boards about the station layout.

Unveiling a plaque at the opening of the improvement works was Lincoln MP Karl McCartney, alongside other local supporters of the work such as Mayor of Lincoln Pat Vaughan, City of Lincoln Council Chief Executive Andrew Taylor and Lincoln BIG’s Michael Corrigan.

Karl McCartney said: “The improvements are a great thing for Lincoln station. I think it’s good to see the partners investing in the gateway to the city.

“This is what people visiting Lincoln are first going to see if they come by train, so it’s great we have a modern-looking ticket office. This one certainly matches up to other ticket offices I’ve seen around the country at other stations.

“It’s clean, it’s fresh, it’s airy and it’s welcoming. I’ve been speaking to the staff today and they are very happy with it. It’s been well designed for those sat behind the counter, but even looking at the counter you can see access for wheelchair users rather than trying to reach over.

“I think projects like this will bring more developments too. I’ve already spoken to Network Rail, East Midlands Trains, the County Council and the Department for Transport who have helped invest into this project, and I will continue discussions with them to ensure further enhancements to the station and passenger experience.

“We have around 1.6 million people using the station yearly. It’s a phenomenal amount of passengers whether they’re new visitors, students and their parents, or local families. Plus ahead of the Magna Carta year next year as well as the other celebrations that we have such as the Christmas Market, we now have a modern train station to accommodate all those people.”

Andy Moore, Head of Stations for East Midlands Trains, said: “Good things can happen when an organisation works on its own, but great things can happen when you put a partnership together.

“Working with our partners at Network Rail, City of Lincoln Council and Lincolnshire County Council, we can see that something amazing has come as a result.

“I’d like to thank the contractors and the designers for the innovative design they’ve put together and the quality of the work that has been created.

“It’s given the people of Lincoln a first class ticket office that’s part of a first class network.”