Station renovation progressing despite delays

A £3.3m overhaul of Skegness railway station is set to be finished on time despite structural issues delaying the first phase of the project.

Councillors at Lincolnshire County Council heard from East Midlands Railways (EMR) about the progress at a committee meeting on Monday.

George Selby, stakeholder engagement manager for EMR, said there had been some delay in completing phase one of the project due to structural issues uncovered during the “strip out” of the Red Star building.

But the first phase is still expected to be completed by 24 October, with phase two projected to be finished by 25 May next year.

Phase one of the work started in November 2023, funded by the government's Towns Deals programme (through Connected Coast).

The plan is to reconfigure the layout of the station to improve passenger flow. The initial phase includes repurposing unused buildings at the front of the station, transforming it into new customer areas and shops, reports the Local Democracy Reporting Service.

Mr Selby said marketing of the new units was ongoing, with strong interest from local businesses.

During the meeting, Mr Selby also noted that improvements to Boston station started in November and were “progressing extremely well”.

Phase one of that £2.8m project, which involves installing a temporary ticket office, ticket hall and staff area, was completed on 24 March.

Phase two, which includes a complete refurbishment of the existing ticket office, ticket hall and staff area, is expected to be completed by 25 April next year.

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