A new station building that is part of the Kidbrooke Village development has been officially opened by Network Rail’s chairman, Sir Peter Hendy, CBE, alongside guests from Berkeley Homes, Southeastern and the local community.
The new station building offers a much improved travel connection for the wider community and the residents of 5,000 new homes in the Berkeley Homes development surrounding the station.
It was funded by Berkeley Homes, constructed by Network Rail and it will be operated by Southeastern.
The new ticket office at the station will help to improve the passenger experience through increased capacity and ticket vending machines are also available if the ticket office is closed.
The modern ticket hall and station frontage is designed to integrate with the Kidbrooke Village development that surrounds it. The building provides a gateway to this part of London, complementing the stylish housing.
Sir Peter, alongside representatives from Berkeley Homes and Southeastern, cut a ribbon to officially open the new station. A choir from the Holy Family Primary school, which is close to the station, then sang before the unveiling of a community library in the ticket office. This was followed by a small socially distanced reception for those who were involved in the construction of the station.
The official opening was conducted with strict COVID-19 compliance and numbers were limited to less than 30.
Sir Peter Hendy CBE, Chairman of Network Rail, said: “It was a privilege to open the new Kidbrooke Station today. It is a great example of Network Rail working together with a strong private sector developer, Berkeley, and with the train operator, South Eastern, to massively improve an existing station.
“What’s been delivered is a station which is a truly integrated, including links to local bus services, walking and cycling, which will deliver a better experience for passengers and local residents.”
Southeastern Passenger Services Director, David Wornham said: “We always look to provide the best possible passenger experience and I’m really pleased that the people of Kidbrooke have a new station building they can be proud of. It’s a fantastic modern facility that really complements the high specification of the Village. The feedback from both our staff and passengers is very positive indeed.”
Karl Whiteman, Divisional Managing Director for Berkeley East Thames, said: “Ensuring that the homes we build are well-connected is key to our regeneration vision for Kidbrooke Village. We’ve invested over £5 million in local transport facilities in the Royal Borough of Greenwich and this new station is a much welcome addition to the local area.
“The station sits right next to the development’s village centre, providing a sustainable form of transport connecting residents and local people to London Bridge and Waterloo East in under 20 minutes. This means that Kidbrooke Village really does offer the best of both worlds – set within 136 acres of parkland, wetlands and open space with a range of amenities on the doorstep, yet still within easy reach of central London.”
Photo credit: Network Rail
0113 2082620
info@railbusinessdaily.com
15 Mariner Court, Wakefield WF4 3FL
