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Cambridge North Station Update
Alan Neville: Greater Anglia
Minutes:
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.