South West Trains passengers are benefitting from further improvements to the safety and security of their station, with an additional 28 stations being awarded secure station accreditation.

The secure station accreditation scheme is led by the British Transport Police in conjunction with the Department for Transport.  It is a national scheme designed to recognise measures taken to improve station security and reassure passengers and staff that consistent efforts are being made to deter crime and anti-social behaviour.

Making the grade, the latest South West Trains stations to achieve the secure mark include: Alton, Andover, Ascot, Barnes, Cobham & Stoke D’Abernon, Dorchester South, Farnborough, Farnham, Godalming, Havant, Hounslow, Mortlake, Norbiton, Petersfield, Southampton Central, Strawberry Hill, Whitton, Winnersh, Basingstoke, Brentford, Fratton, Portsmouth & Southsea, Windsor & Eton Riverside, Kingston, Portsmouth Harbour, Raynes Park, Richmond, and Teddington.

As part of the accreditation, the stations were audited by the British Transport Police. These stations join more than 100 other stations on the South West Trains network that have been accredited with secure station status. This means that 95% of passengers now travel through stations that have met the strict security criteria set down through this scheme.

Tim Shoveller, Managing Director of the South West Trains and Network Rail alliance commented: “Although crime on the railways is at an all time low, we are continually looking at ways to make our trains and stations safer. We remain committed to invest over £50m in our stations over the duration of this franchise, as these provide a gateway to our rail services.

He continued “Much of this investment goes towards CCTV and our station help points. Providing a vital and direct line of communication between passengers and staff in our Waterloo information control centre, the help points are manned by our team 24-hours a day.”