New loos are set to open... or are they?
COUNCILLOR IS SCEPTICAL OVER TRAIN STATION
AFTER a series of delays, Market Harborough railway station’s long-awaited toilets will open tomorrow.
The grand opening was delayed by a month in May due to bad weather. Network Rail, in charge of renovating the loos, then announced they could not open as planned as they were the wrong size. On both occasions, the company apologised for the delays.
The saga has now to come to an end – but local councillor Phil Knowles, who has long campaigned for the new facilities, remains sceptical.
He said: “We’ve had so many broken promises on this. They’d promised the opening of the toilets at the end of June and 72 hours before the deadline they suddenly discovered that the cubicles were all too small and they couldn’t proceed with the opening. I was astounded.
“This isn’t just a few weeks in delay, this work should have been completed in my opinion three years ago when they had most of the upgrades there. So it’s been a long, long time.
“They dropped me a note saying it would be complete and open by the end of this week. If it is, that’s great, I’m delighted. It’s important because we need the appropriate facilities open for people.”
He said questions still remain over the work at Market Harborough Station, adding: “They’re undertaking a review into why this last delay occurred.
“They didn’t know whether it had been ordered incorrectly, supplied incorrectly or what. That review is under way and people want to know why it happened and why no one had picked up on it.”
The plans for the station include the demolition of the old toilet block, which has been turned into a new waiting room, while new toilets were built. These are to be accessible and will have baby-changing facilities. The toilets are the latest in a series of improvements to the site over the last few years, including a new, accessible footbridge, a new car park with 200 extra spaces and the installation of straighter tracks to allow trains to go through the station at higher speeds. The project is part of the wider Midland Main Line Upgrade – the largest programme of work on the line since it was completed in 1870, according to Network Rail.
MP for Harborough Neil O’Brien has welcomed the news of the opening.
He said: “Over recent months I’ve been in regular correspondence with Network Rail and EMR on a range of station and train matters, as I’m always keen to see improvements to our stations and trains wherever possible.
“To have this following on from the other improvement works we’ve seen at the station and the ongoing work to electrify the Midland Main Line is very welcome news for many constituents who are regular users of the service.”
LONG-DELAYED BOOST FOR
It isn’t just a few weeks in delay, this should have been completed three years ago
Phil Knowles, pictured