£100k investment improves passenger facilities at Newmarket Station

Published on: Monday, 8 February 2016
Last updated: Wednesday, 5 October 2016

Passengers using Newmarket rail station are benefitting from new facilities, thanks to the completion of a partnership led project which has seen £100k invested in improvements at the Suffolk station.

Abellio Greater Anglia, Newmarket Racecourses, Jockey Club Estates, Tattersalls (Europe’s leading bloodstock auctioneers), Suffolk County Council and Suffolk Coasts & Heaths Area Of Outstanding Natural Beauty have worked together to invest in the station and create an improved gateway to the Suffolk town, synonymous with horse racing. The partners welcomed Rt. Hon Matthew Hancock, MP for West Suffolk to declare open the improved station on Friday 5 February.

The station, on the Ipswich to Cambridge line, has received a new digital LED Customer Information Screen to provide train running information in a clear, easy to read format, along with the installation of new wooden benches, waiting shelters and improved cycle parking.

A new card-only automatic ticket machine has also been installed, which will, for the first time, allow customers to purchase ‘walk up and go’ tickets and collect pre-paid tickets and tickets which have been bought online.

All the station signs have been replaced and renewed to promote the partnership.

The station platforms have been jet-washed and the edging repainted, together with repairs to the car park which has been relined and landscaping improved on the approach road.

Abellio Greater Anglia’s Area Customer Service Manager, James Steward, said, “This is a significant upgrade to Newmarket station, improving the passenger facilities and creating a more pleasant environment for our customers. I am grateful to all our partners who have contributed to the project and we look forward to working together in the future to boost the profile of Newmarket still further.”

Rt. Hon. Matthew Hancock MP said: “More and more people are using rail services to and from Newmarket, so it is great news that commuters are set to benefit from the £100,000 fund to make Newmarket Railway Station more accessible to all who use it.

“By investing in improving services and facilities, we are investing in Newmarket’s future. I look forward to opening the improved parts of the station on Friday, and will continue to do all I can to help secure more frequent services for residents, commuters and visitors in the town”.

Amy Starkey, Regional Director of Jockey Club Racecourses, the owner of Newmarket Racecourses, said: “Newmarket Racecourses and Tattersalls are delighted to have made a significant contribution to improvements to Newmarket station as we strive to create a warm welcome to passengers arriving at the Home of Horse Racing.

“Newmarket is at the centre of the horse racing and bloodstock industries, which are major employers and investors in this part of East Anglia, and we want to celebrate this long history and heritage on our railway network. This is a step forward as we seek to continue the improvements to Newmarket’s environment.”