Cash to help commuters go green at stations

WOKINGHAM commuters will benefit from an £87,000 grant to boost sustainable travel.

South Western Railway has made the gift to Wokingham Borough council as part of a fund aimed at improving walking and cycling access to and from stations.

The money is to cover improvements at Earley, Winnersh, Winnersh Triangle and Wokingham stations.

The new project will identify short, medium and long term solutions to encouraging commuters to greenify their journeys, including raising awareness of active and sustainable travel options.

Wokingham Borough Council is one of nearly 70 recipients for the funding from the train operator’s Customer and Communities Improvement Fund (CCIF).

Local authorities will match the funding with contributions from housing developments to enable schemes which look to provide new walking and cycling routes and improved transport interchanges.

SWR Commercial and Business Development Director Peter Williams said: “We recognise only too well the vital role that rail plays in the local as well as the national economy, and I am delighted that we have been able to further support the communities we serve through this funding.

“The first year’s recipients cover a wide range of, and in many cases innovative, projects, and I look forward to them all coming to fruition.”

The winning proposals were selected by a panel of representatives from SWR’s Social and Commercial Development Board, Transport Focus and SWR’s Board, before final approval by the Department for Transport (DfT).