Train Plan Delivers Improvements for Passengers at Benfleet Station

Train operator c2c and Essex County Council have been working together to implement a series of improvements at Benfleet station as part of the station travel plan for Benfleet - one of the first to be implemented in the country.

Councillor Norman Hume, Portfolio Holder for Highways and Transportation at Essex County Council said:
 
“Benfleet is an important station with frequent services for a wide area of South Essex, and the County Council is pleased to have invested £400K to improve access to this very busy station.

Highlights of the improvements are the installation of new facilities for bus users and cyclists including the installation of a new ‘I-Kiosk’  to provide public transport information for customers, a new bus turning area and new passenger shelters at the bus stops. In addition, parking for over 100 cycles; and a new lockable compound where frequent rail users can leave their bicycles, have also been installed.”

Hugh Jennings c2c’s Head of Retail said:

“The survey results we obtained from the Station Travel Plan showed clearly that many of our customers at Benfleet rely on buses and cycles to get to the station, particularly from Canvey Island. We welcome this investment by the County Council to help make travelling to the station a much easier experience for the thousands of customers who use our Benfleet services every day.”

Work to improve the station began three years ago when c2c refurbished the ticket office, toilets, coffee shop and the waiting room on the London-bound platform. At the same time an access ramp was installed to the Southend-bound platform and more recently automatic doors were fitted at the station. In Spring 2008, customers who responded to the station travel plan survey confirmed the importance of facilities for bus and cycle users, which led to this much welcomed investment by the County Council.