The announcement in the Budget that St Albans City station is to receive a £5 million revamp has delighted local MP Anne Main.
‘This is brilliant news for the city and commuters. I’m delighted that money will be spent to enhance our offering as a city, and offer more services to commuters’, said the St Albans MP.
Last year Anne met with Govia Thameslink representatives to discuss plans to bid for station upgrades. Amongst the concerns Anne raised that day were the lack of facilities and too few ticket barriers to help with the flow of people in the forecourt. After the meeting Anne wrote to the transport minister giving her full backing, saying that it was ‘extremely important’ that this bid ‘was supported’ by the department, not least because of the money constituents paid to travel, but also because ‘appropriate facilities’ were needed for a station with such big footfall.
Reacting to the news, Anne said that ‘the city station is the gateway to St Albans. When I discussed this with Govia last year I made that point. It is used every day by thousands of commuters, and is often the first glimpse of the city that visitors see. When people arrive here on the train for the first time, they should be greeted in a way that shows what a great city St Albans is.
‘We have lots to offer tourists, and have good projects in the pipeline. We have an ancient city, steeped in history that will be showcased by an exciting new museum in the city centre.
‘But the prospect of new and better facilities for commuters will hopefully enhance their experience, and provide better services for their travel.’
Watch: Anne Main, chair of the All Party Parliamentary Group on Bangladesh, talks about the Rohingya crisis and urges support for @DECappeal pic.twitter.com/FFL0lq8O0A
— DFID (@DFID_UK) October 12, 2017