South West Trains has started work on a £700K project designed to revitalise Andover station. The three month improvement programme funded by the Government’s National Stations Improvement Programme scheme along with South West Trains and Test Valley Borough Council means passengers will soon benefit from a raft of enhancements. Station upgrades include the refurbishment of the waiting room, and a smart new station frontage.

Andover station’s forecourt will be reconfigured with more parking and drop-off spaces for cars, motorcycles and taxis. The existing toilets will be refurbished and a set of toilets will added to the Salisbury bound platform, giving a full complement of toilets on both platforms.

Jake Kelly, customer service director for the Network Rail and South West Trains alliance said: “Andover station’s forecourt will feel more spacious once the project is complete, enabling passengers to pass through the station more quickly and easily. Over the last few months, as well as adding a secure cycle compound at Andover, we have refurbished the booking hall and lowered the ticket office window for disabled passengers. The new station improvements will build on this, further strengthening our service to long distance commuters using Andover as their interchange.

He continued: “During this franchise we will be investing over £50m in our stations as these provide a gateway to our rail services. We appreciate being able to work with Test Valley Borough Council on this project”.