DRY rot has delayed improvements to Stratford railway station but work is still set to be completed by the end of the year.
Network Rail is currently carrying out a £1.5million renovation – including new booking hall, separate buffet and modernising toilets and waiting facilities.
Contractors discovered significant amounts of dry rot in roofing timbers and also floor joists, which have had to be removed and replaced.
Fraser Pithie, of the Shakespeare Line Promotion Group (SLPG), said: “The renovation work has been put back by several weeks. This is not surprising as the station buildings have not been improved or received significant attention since the end of the Second World War.
“We realise the improvement scheme has slipped back concerning its completion date, but we’d rather have the work done thoroughly and completed to a high standard. If that means putting up with another couple of months till the end of the year, then we wholeheartedly support that approach”.
Most of the work is set to be completed before Christmas, before the station gets a fresh lick of paint in the new year.
Simon Clifford, Network Rail’s senior project sponsor, added: “Network Rail is committed to getting Stratford’s station renovation and improvements completed as soon as possible. We are working to complete the main elements of the work shortly with the station fully up and running within the next couple of months.”
SLPG, together with the Rail User Group for Stratford upon Avon and Elizabeth Dixon from Accessible Stratford, have been working with Network Rail and West Midlands Trains to ensure the needs of all passengers, including those with reduced mobility, were met as part of the upgrade.
