Network Rail and train operators Avanti West Coast and London Northwestern Railway are trialling early boarding at London Euston station as part of a wider effort to improve the passenger experience and reduce overcrowding.
The trial follows a five-point plan for improvements at Euston, launched by Network Rail and the Department for Transport. Transport Secretary Louise Haigh recently tasked station teams with assessing day-to-day operations and making immediate improvements where possible.
From today, 28 October, around 40% of Avanti West Coast services will board 20 minutes before departure, with more services planned to adopt this system ahead of Christmas. London Northwestern Railway’s Birmingham services began continuous boarding on 21 October, allowing passengers onto platforms as soon as the preceding service departs.
Gary Walsh, director for Network Rail’s West Coast South route, said: “Getting passengers to their services in good time is at the heart of our improvements at Euston, and today’s changes will tackle that issue head-on. Taking quick and effective action is at the core of our five-point plan which I’m pleased to say is starting to deliver for our passengers at London Euston station.”
Network Rail held its first rail industry summit at Euston today, with representatives from the Department for Transport, Avanti West Coast, London Northwestern Railway, Transport for London, the Office of Rail and Road, London TravelWatch, and Transport Focus. The event updated stakeholders on the five-point plan and included a tour of passenger operations.
Transport Secretary Louise Haigh commented: “I am pleased to see immediate improvements being made at Euston Station to reduce the risk of overcrowding, drive up standards and deliver a better experience for passengers. For too long, Euston station simply has not been good enough. That’s why I have tasked Network Rail and operators with delivering a clear plan to alleviate some of the issues passengers are facing while we work on a long-term solution for the station.”
Cheryl Fox, interim customer experience director at Avanti West Coast, added: “We know the travelling experience for our customers at Euston has fallen below the standards they should rightly expect. This is why we welcome any steps to make improvements. We will continue to work alongside Network Rail as well as our partners on this trial and other measures, with the aim of making journeys at the station more comfortable for those travelling on the West Coast main line.”
Jonny Wiseman, customer experience director for London Northwestern Railway, said: “We are pleased to be working together with Network Rail and other train operators to improve the travelling experience for our customers at Euston. We’ll be monitoring the impact of these changes closely as we continue working with partners to make the process of boarding trains smoother across the station.”
Additional changes under consideration include improving visibility of information desks, expanding waiting space on the concourse, and reviewing station signage. Long-term plans for the future regeneration of the Euston site were also discussed at the summit.
Chris Mitchell is the founder and editor of Harrow Online, Harrow’s leading local news platform.
He launched Harrow Online in 2010 as a Facebook page sharing local news and information. Since then, it has grown into a trusted source for breaking news, crime, council decisions, planning, transport, business and community stories across the borough.
Harrow Online reaches hundreds of thousands of readers each month and has a social media audience of more than 200,000 followers.
For news tips, press releases or enquiries, contact Chris at info@harrowonline.org.
