Network Rail has completed an £800,000 replacement of the footbridge at Westgate-on-Sea station with stepped access between the station’s two platforms over the tracks of the Chatham Main Line.
A new steel footbridge has been designed, manufactured and erected while improvements have also been made to the staircase, surfacing, tactile strips, and handrails. The travel experience for passengers will also be enhanced with station cleaning taking place along with teams tidying bushes and hedgerows.
Westgate-on-Sea railway station is on the Chatham Main Line and serving the town of Westgate-on-Sea, Kent. It is 72 miles (116.6 km) down the line from London Victoria and is situated between Birchington-on-Sea and Margate.
There are two platforms at Westgate-on-Sea station with entrance access points and accessible ticket machines for rail passengers.
Fiona Taylor, route director at Network Rail said: “The work at Westgate-on-Sea is part of our Railway Upgrade Plan, making journeys better for customers while giving the community a station they can be proud of.
“The replacement of this life expired asset is vital to improve the reliability of journeys for our passengers and I thank the community for their patience while we completed this essential upgrade.”
Jon Sandford, Station Manager for Southeastern at Westgate-on-Sea, said: “We’re always wanting to do more for our passengers and this new footbridge not only ensures that passengers will be able to safely cross the railway for generations to come, but also improves the appearance of the station.
“We’re grateful to Network Rail for completing this work in a way that minimised disruption to our passengers’ journeys.”
The construction works such as new bridge foundations and substructures took place in stages, with minimal disruption to the station users. The footbridge replacement also provided an opportunity to upgrade CCTV coverage and improve security for station users.
The proposed footbridge was prefabricated, which reduced the risk of working at height, over the railway. These works form part of Network Rail’s five-year, multi-billion-pound Railway Upgrade Plan, which is the biggest investment in the railway since Victorian times.
Photo credit: Network Rail
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