Ely rail station is now more accessible following the completion of redevelopment work.
Greater Anglia has spent £1.7 million to reconfigure and upgrade the station buildings on platform 1 to create an improved layout and better facilities for passengers.
Work started in the spring to relocate the ticket office and create a new waiting room and booking hall, which opened on Monday 5 September.
In addition, a number of accessibility improvements have been carried out including the installation of a Changing Places toilet facility – the first on Greater Anglia’s network – seven disabled parking spaces near to the entrance, new automatic doors, levelling and resurfacing at the front of the station to create step-free access, and a new safer zebra crossing from the car park to the entrance.
Changing Places toilets are larger than other accessible toilets and have equipment, including a changing bench and hoist, designed to support disabled people who need extra assistance.
In addition to accessibility improvements, the entire station has been redecorated, the front of the station building has been cleaned and restored and new signage has been installed thanks to a grant from the Railway Heritage Trust.
New ticket gates have also been installed.
Funding for the project was also provided by Govia Thameslink Railway.
Greater Anglia’s Asset Management Director, Simone Bailey, said, “This work has transformed Ely station and we’re pleased that the new facilities are now open.
“Passengers will notice a huge difference with a bigger, brighter booking hall, a new waiting room and a much-improved layout with easier access for everyone.
“Investing in upgrades to stations across the network is extremely important to Greater Anglia, demonstrating our commitment to providing excellent facilities and service to our customers.”
Rebecca Richardson, Greater Anglia’s Accessibility Manager, said, “I’m delighted that we have been able to include our first Changing Places facility within this redevelopment.
“We want to make sure that everyone can have a good journey with us, so this is a really positive step at a busy interchange station that sees a lot of passengers from all over the country.
“Many of our stations date from Victorian times and don’t often afford enough space for improvements like this, but as Ely was being completely redeveloped it presented an excellent opportunity.
“This is certainly something we will consider during future station upgrades elsewhere on our network, where possible.”
Jenny Saunders, Customer Services Director for Great Northern and Thameslink, said: “We’re committed to making travel on our services an easier, better experience for everyone, so we’re delighted to have worked with Greater Anglia on this comprehensive improvement project. The collaboration and pooling of resources means the investment we’ve made from our network-wide station improvement programme has been much more effective for Ely than it could have been on its own.”
