Passengers will benefit from having better access when boarding and leaving trains following the completion of upgrades to the platforms at St James Park station in Exeter. Network Rail has completed its work to extend the platforms at St James Park station which will mean the station can now accommodate longer trains and passengers will be able to board and depart trains from all carriages due to trains now being able to open all carriage doors.
Platform one has been extended by 10m while platform 2 has been extended by 49m, ready to facilitate longer trains departing and arriving at the station.
As part of the work, Network Rail engineers have also installed new energy-efficient lighting which will improve visibility and safety for passengers when in the station and on the platforms.
Mark Radford, Network Rail project manager, said: “It’s great to have finished these platform upgrades and we’re looking forward to our passengers benefitting from the improved access when boarding and departing trains at this station. We thank those people who have been using the station for their patience and understanding while we undertook this work.”
Matthew Barnes, GWR regional development manager, said: “This work will allow customers to take full advantage of the train services we provide, and will help to 'build back better' when travel restrictions are eased. Longer platforms have been an aspiration of the local community for a long time, and it is great to see the investment being made in key local stations like St James’ Park. We have been working hard during the pandemic to make sure that people can be confident to travel safely, and that includes running as many trains and carriages as we can to make extra room, as well as enhanced cleaning and social distancing measures."