Fix Great Yarmouth Station
News updates:
05/12/2011 Meeting with new train operating company, Abellio, to discuss rail service and station improvements.
04/10/2011 I met with National Express this week to discuss the franchise process and what impact that has on improving our train station. Details of that meeting and some of the works that are planned for improvement will be posted here shortly.
10/08/2011 A brief update on behind scenes work to make sure the new franchise holder makes improvements to the town’s station. Read more…
23/07/2011 Brandon asks transport ministers to make sure that station improvements are included in new franchise agreements. Read more…
06/07/2010 ASDA announce their support for the campaign. Read more…
25/05/2010 Partnership programme for station improvements agreed. Read more…
Our station is the gateway to Great Yarmouth for tourists, locals and visitors alike. However, when people arrive at Great Yarmouth station all they will see is a rundown, dreary shack with minimal facilities and dirt and grime everywhere. Not forgetting of course the rich wildlife it has to offer, the local pigeons and their faeces. A small cabin, currently shut down, and an old caravan provide newspapers and food for station users. This is not a great way to be welcomed.
It has grieved many people to see our local station, with potential to be a brilliant asset to the town, in such a sorry state of neglect.
Tourism in Great Yarmouth provides £450-£500 million to the local economy. Many of these tourists come by rail and we want a station that will welcome them warmly, not make them grimace at the state of our town.
Locals and commuters want a comfortable environment to travel from, not a dirty lacklustre shelter. The station is in need of total refurbishment and is a stain on the town’s character and a source of ridicule for out-of-towners.
We no longer want to be embarrassed by our station. This is NOT the best Great Yarmouth has to offer. That is why in January 2010 I launched the “Fix our Station” campaign, within days of its launch it had received massive local media coverage and nearly two thousand people signed up to the Facebook campaign.
Since then the train operating companies have reluctantly admitted that work needs to be undertaken. With the rail franchise running out soon, I have been lobbying the government to make sure that station improvements our top of the agenda when the new franchises are agreed.
Find out more about the campaign at www.fixourstation.com
