Member of Parliament for North East Hampshire, Ranil Jayawardena, helped lay the foundations of SWR’s investment in new cycling facilities at Fleet station on Friday 6 March.
Mr Jayawardena helped pour concrete for the initial phase of works to start expanding the number of cycle spaces and encourage more passengers to get on their bike.
The next phase of works will see almost £800,000 spent on building a brand-new cycle hub. Cycling is already very popular at the station, so the new scheme will add over 200 extra cycle spaces for passengers to store their bikes and help them travel greener. The hub is expected to be completed by the summer.
SWR is working with the Department for Transport, Sustrans, Network Rail, Hart District Council and Hampshire County Council to help deliver the scheme.
Last year, SWR was also successful in securing grants for stations across its network from government, local authorities and third-party funding sources. The successful stations will see additional facilities, including state of the art cycle hubs, community cycle repair facilities, double racked cycle spaces, extra secure cycle parking, and new electric bike docking points.
Commenting, Ranil Jayawardena MP said:
"To help us all be greener, we need new infrastructure in place. As well as electric cars and public transport, we should help people cycle for short journeys.
"I was happy to lay the foundations with SWR as they begin work to increase cycle parking at Fleet Station, which will help those who already cycle and – I hope – also encourage more people to jump on their bikes for a bit of morning exercise, helping to keep our air cleaner."
Amelia Woodley, Head of Sustainability for South Western Railway, said:
"We know many of our customers are environmentally-conscious and keen to keep fit and healthy by exercising on the way to their station.
"That’s why the new cycle facilities at Fleet, and wider investment in providing more cycling and car charging facilities across our network, is such welcome news for passengers who want to travel greener and cleaner."
Steve Forster, Councillor for Fleet West (Hart District Council), added:
"It’s great to see the work being started, and I am confident it will support much more cycling. Coupled with the resurfacing work and the new gates that are working well, I’m pleased SWR is getting on with providing a better railway."
