Four electric vehicle (EV) charging points have been installed at a North Yorkshire railway station, marking the first such installation outside all other TransPennine Express owned car parks.
Customers at Thirsk station can now charge their vehicles while travelling by train.
On Friday 30 August, the new 22kW charging facilities were inaugurated by Kevin Hollinrake, MP for Thirsk and Malton, who also tested the charging points using his own electric vehicle.
A complete charge will take 4–6 hours, depending on the car type, and will cost 55p per kWh, in addition to the standard car parking fee.
Users can make payments through the APCOA Connect App, which facilitates the easy location and payment for charging sessions.
“Providing EV chargers is central to the UK’s transport decarbonisation plans and our own sustainability strategy. We hope the provision within a rural community helps our customers who travel from further afield to Thirsk station can do so more sustainably.
It is our aim to roll out EV charge points at other TPE stations in due course, recognising that more and more people are increasingly embracing electric vehicles. It is therefore important that we as a train operator have the facilities at our stations for local communities.”
Nicola Martin, Head of Sustainability at TPE
Recent years have seen sustainability enhancements at Thirsk Station, with the heating and lighting systems upgraded for better energy efficiency.
TPE has established 800 square metres of wildflower grassland in Thirsk, which includes 90 metres of native hedgerows, seven trees, 175 square metres of native scrub, and five insect hotels. Additionally, they have incorporated pollinator-friendly plants into various planters.
“As an EV owner myself, I’m thrilled to see these new charging points at Thirsk station. This will make it much easier for local drivers to choose greener travel options. It’s great to see North Yorkshire leading the way in supporting the shift to electric vehicles and I hope to see more of these facilities across the constituency.”
Kevin Hollinrake, MP for Thirsk and Malton
Responses
If we want to be serious about green transport then we need a safe cycle path from the town to the station. The current cycle lanes (on road) are dangerous as the offer no protection for cyclists.
Whilst the intention is to provide charging to rail users this is ill thought out. The shortcoming is that the early long distance traveller, many to London, will plug in and possibly then not return for some 12+ hours thus depriving anyone else of the ability to use the chargers throughout the day. A case of I’m alright sod you will no doubt prevail.
You’ve not yet upgraded disabled access. What are your priorities here?
If the station isn’t manned, anyone how cannot manage the stairs due to a disability has to disembark at York, wait for an accessible taxi to bring them to Thirsk which is payed for by the rail service provider. They are delayed more than 15 minutes (claim delay-repay).