A new £1.2m bicycle hub has opened at Newbury Railway station, and can house up to 230 cycles.
Train operator Great Western Railway said that an additional 100 spaces should be added by the end of the year.
The project was funded with the support of the Department for Transport and the Local Enterprise Partnership, and has meant that cycle parking at the railway station has increased by over 300%.
The hub provides 180 new spaces in two-tier racks on platform 1. An additional 50 spaces are provided on stands on the pavement. Security is provided thanks to CCTV and LED lighting.
The plans are for a second cycle hub to be provided on Platform 2 which will allow for an extra 176 bicycles to be parked at the station.
GWR Station Manager for Newbury Kevin King said: “We know that more people are now walking and cycling to our station and this is likely to continue in future. As more people have the confidence to return to rail travel it is important that we provide the facilities they need at the station.
“We are delighted to have worked with our industry partners to get the new cycle storage in place. Newbury is an important station on our network and it is great to see investment being made here to support sustainable transport by bike and by train.”
Vice Chair of the Berkshire Local Transport Body and Board Director at Thames Valley Berkshire LEP Bob Mountain said: “Over and above this investment at Newbury, the LEP has allocated almost £5m directly to other cycle schemes across Berkshire. And approximately 50% of all LEP infrastructure funding goes to sustainable projects – rail and bus, supporting modal shift away from car usage. And we will continue to invest in business solutions that move the UK towards net zero carbon emissions.”
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Newbury railway station has changed a lot since the electrification extended to Newbury. And with GWR Class 387s running faster and stopper commuter services from London Paddington to Newbury.