A £4.5 million project to transform the forecourt at Salisbury Railway Station has finally been completed.
The project, which started in June of last year, aimed to make the station more accessible and welcoming for visitors and commuters and improve connectivity from the station to the heart of the city.
New trees and shrubs have been planted at the forecourt, as well as intuitive wayfinding to help people navigate the station with ease.
A new bus interchange and cycle hub have also been created, which will make it easier for people to choose green ways of travel.
These improvements link with the Fisherton Gateway scheme which was completed last year. Wiltshire Council said both of these projects together have created a smoother and more attractive route for pedestrians heading to and from the city centre.
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Councillor Martin Smith, Wiltshire Council’s cabinet member for highways, streetscene and flooding, said: “This investment from the Future High Streets Fund has provided Salisbury with a fitting entrance to our historic city and a more welcoming first impression.
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- Picture: Wiltshire Council
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- Picture: Wiltshire Council
“We hope that as people step off the trains, they feel a sense of arrival and anticipation for the exciting experiences awaiting them in Salisbury.
“Improving this key route from the railway station into the city centre is a key step in supporting the local economy, encouraging sustainable business growth and creating a greater experience for residents and visitors.”
Andrew Ardley, regional development manager (West), South Western Railway (SWR), said: “The completion of the forecourt scheme is a major milestone in the ongoing improvements to Salisbury station.
“It is a genuinely transformational scheme as an interchange between different transport modes, especially train and bus, with several new bus routes in place or planned such as the X3 to Bournemouth.
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- Picture: Wiltshire Council
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- Picture: Wiltshire Council
“This has been a particularly complex scheme to design and deliver whilst maintaining the operation of the station at all times.
“Thank you to our customers, staff, transport operators and neighbours for their patience whilst the works were carried out.
“A special thank you is due to Wiltshire Council for their foresight and determination to secure funding and deliver the scheme, and M Group for working closely with us throughout.”
Lewis Cowley, regional director for M Group, said: “We are proud to have been a part of this prestigious scheme, working in close collaboration with Wiltshire Council, SWR, Network Rail and the Station Management Team to efficiently deliver this successful project.
“We appreciate the patience and cooperation of the station users during the construction period while we have been delivering these enhancements to the station’s forecourt environment.”
All very crisp and friendly, but the issue of how many car parking spaces there are, which was a problem before the upgrade, has been made worse, with many spaces (70?) now lost to flowerbeds, etc etc. So whilst for a visiting traveller without a car all is lovely, but for regular Salisbury-area travellers/commuters there is just a longer walk/no space to park. They should envelope the two sidings north of the current car park into the car park to make more space, and .