Rail passengers in Northampton will benefit from new and improved facilities from next Monday when a £20M station redevelopment opens.

The new 2500m² building is more than twice the size of the old station and is required to meet a growing number of visitors and commuters travelling to and from the East Midlands town.

Rail service operator London Midland says it expects queuing times to get on and off the station’s platforms to reduce as the new building is fitted with 10 ticket gates compared to just four in the old building.

Previously, the 2.8 million passengers travelling through Northampton station each year had to show tickets and travel cards to revenue officers, who manually operated the gates.

London Midland spokesman Terry Oliver said: “Northampton is one of our busiest stations and I’m delighted that residents and visitors are set to receive an improved service, thanks to the new station building and 36,000 extra seats every week we are providing on Northampton train services”.

The new station development was led by a partnership between Network Rail, Northamptonshire County Council and Northampton Borough Council.

Northampton Borough Council leader Councillor David Mackintosh said: “The new station looks fantastic, and it's long past time that Northampton had this kind of facility.

“Rail use is increasing and we want to ensure anyone visiting our town has the brightest welcome possible. The increase in ticket barriers will also help remove bottlenecks which are a peak-time feature at the current station.”

(Photo: London Midland)

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