Issue - meetings

Alan Neville: Greater Anglia

The Committee received a presentation from Alan Neville (Customer Engagement Manager, Abellio Greater Anglia) which provided an update on Cambridge North Station after its first month of opening.

·        The design and layout of the station was contemporary with a community feel.

·        Cycle facilities were in high demand.

·        They have had a high media interest and focussed heavily on promoting the new facility. Public feedback about the site and services on offer had largely been positive.

·        Demand for the station was increasing weekly.

·        The official opening had been delayed because of the pre-election period but plans were in place to hold an official opening in the near future.

The Customer Engagement Manager said the following in response to Members’ and public questions:

     i.        Greater Anglia had not given input on the amount of female public toilets that had been built. He recognised that the current allocation of two for the whole station was not enough, so confirmed that comments would be fed back.

    ii.        The lifts being out of order had been treated as a very serious issue. Engineers had been called to repair them as soon as the problem occurred and everything had been done to accommodate those impacted. Action was being taken at Director level to ensure the problems did not occur again.

   iii.        There had been a few problems with the ticket machines due to the model of machine being used. Efforts were being undertaken to address this.

  iv.        Confirmed that Greater Anglia were in discussion with local bus companies to discuss potential collaboration and onward travel plans. He advised that if the Councillors and public had any specific questions or would like to recommend bus stops on key routes then they should email him; he would raise them at the next travel plan meeting.

   v.        Directors from Greater Anglia were liaising with their cycle guttering provider to fix the issues that had arisen. One of the key problems was that the channel appeared to have been placed too near the wall. A time span for repair could not be provided yet.

  vi.        Selective door opening from the train doors was thought to be a problem with specific train companies who are working on the issue.

 vii.        Confirmed that although it might seem unnecessary for trains to stop a long way down the platform it was for complex operational reasons; the signalling and birthing was based there. As this caused an inconvenience to customers it would be looked into. 

viii.        The lack of adequate signage from Fen Road had been raised prior to the meeting so action would be taken to provide more.

  ix.        A fixed date for the opening of the coffee shop could not be confirmed. However, work had begun on building it.

   x.        The train timetable would undergo changes based upon service progress in the future; this was likely to improve links.

  xi.        They recognised that access for blind or visually impaired people was not satisfactory. An officer from Cam Site had visited the station to assess the design. The issues had also been raised with the head of safety from Abellio Greater Anglia which they would look to address.

 xii.        Confirmed that he could not comment on the amount of time the gates were shut on the level crossing on Fen Road because Network Rail were responsible for this.