Cyclists using Lowestoft railway station are set to benefit from improved cycle parking – with the relocation and refurbishment of its secure cycle storage facility.
The facility can only be accessed with one of Greater Anglia’s electronic Smart Cards which are available from the Lowestoft ticket office for a deposit of £25. Access to spaces will be issued on a first-come, first-served basis, with ID required when applying.
Relocation and refurbishment of the facility has been funded by the Wherry Lines Community Rail Partnership which is also working with Greater Anglia to enhance the integrated transport hub situated on the site of the station’s former platform one, placing the secure cycle parking adjacent to where the bus stops, taxis rank and pedestrian access to the main car park are situated.
Martin Halliday, development officer at Community Rail Norfolk, parent organisation of the Wherry Lines Community Rail Partnership said, “We have been pleased to support the refurbishment and relocation of the stations secure cycle storage facility. Integrating this facility with the stations onward travel hub further enhances efforts by the Community Rail Partnership and the Lowestoft Central Project to enhance Britain’s most easterly station, providing peace of mind and better access for cyclists and freeing up space on the station concourse.”
Simone Bailey, Greater Anglia’s asset management director, said: “We are committed to supporting green transport and environmental initiatives across our region.
“More people are choosing to live in our region and travel by train, and before the pandemic we were seeing increasing numbers of people cycling to stations. As people return to rail, we’re keen to expand our cycling facilities, especially as it helps people to minimise their carbon footprint for the entire length of their journeys.
“We want to make sure cyclists are able to leave their bikes at the station safely while they travel with us and are pleased to have worked with the Wherry Lines Community Rail Partnership to upgrade this secure facility at Lowestoft.”
The refurbished and relocated facility at Lowestoft is in addition to a wider programme of works by Greater Anglia which has already seen around 1,000 additional cycle parking spaces installed across the network to encourage more eco-friendly travel options to and from its stations.