Portsmouth railway stations finally get cleaned up by South Western Railway
DRAB and dreary railway stations in need of a lick of paint have been spruced up.
South Western Railway has finished work at Portsmouth Harbour to make it more welcoming for visitors and people commuting from the station.
It comes after years of lobbying from councillors who said the station, along with Portsmouth and Southsea in the city centre, desperately needed doing up.
SWR is spending £1.5m on paint jobs across the area and both stations, and Portchester, have been looked at in the first phase of works.
When told about the development, Councillor Gerald Vernon-Jackson said: ‘Thank the lord – it’s years overdue.
‘It’s just not a good welcome for people coming into the city so I’m really pleased that South Western Railway is managing to get this done.’
Painters have completed external and internal work on 10 stations looked after by SWR.
Alan Penlington, the rail franchise’s director of customer experience, said: ‘At SWR, we are committed to improving our performance at every stage of the journey because we know that great customer service consists of more than getting people from A to B.
‘Our determination to improve and enhance our stations is just one example of this commitment.
‘Our stations sit at the heart of the communities we serve and play a vital role in delivering the quality service our customers expect.
‘This £1.5m investment will smarten up a whole host of stations across our network – including 15 in Hampshire – and give a tangible boost to the experience of using our services.’
In all, 16 stations will be painted.