PR346_P42-44_Build.qxp_PR346_p42-44 08/02/2021 17:12 Page 42
PARKING STRUCTURES
NORTHERN
Station car park doubles as flood defence Mytholmroyd’s new surface car park will protect local area A car park built by Northern as part of the rail operator’s programme of modernisation will double as a defence to help prevent local flooding. The West Yorkshire village of Mytholmroyd has been hardhit by flooding in the past five years. It is hoped the new car park at the town’s station will help protect the area. The £3.9m engineering project includes a system designed to capture storm water running down the nearby Calder Valley in a tank that can hold approximately 431,000 litres. The water is then released from the storage tank at a controlled rate, which means surface water run-off will be slowed down before flowing into the River Calder to help to reduce the risk of flooding. As well as bolstering the village’s flood defences, the car park will provide 181 spaces for Northern customers, including nine accessible bays and nine wide access bays. Tony Baxter, regional director at Northern said: “The new car park will deliver significant improvements for our customers using Mytholmroyd station, and we’re proud to have also been able to play a part in preventing future flooding in the area.
Mytholmroyd car park “This project is a real testament to partnership work, and we are delighted that the community is now better protected. We know this will bring muchneeded reassurance to local residents and businesses who are sadly familiar with the devastating impact of flooding.” More than 3,200 tonnes of waste material were removed from the site to complete the project, while 11,200 tonnes of new material were used in the construction of the car park, which opened on 1 February. The project is part of the West Yorkshire Combined Authority’s
Rail Park & Ride Programme, which has been designed to increase station parking and provide people with increased access to train services. Funded through the West Yorkshire-plus Transport Fund, the park & ride scheme could help reduce congestion, improve local air quality and enhance people’s access to jobs, training and apprenticeship opportunities, as well as leisure activities. Cllr Tim Swift, deputy chair of West Yorkshire Combined Authority and Leader of Calderdale Council said: “This facility will both help more peo-
Train company Northern’s ongoing work to transform rail travel in the North has seen £650,000 worth of improvements made at car parks across its network. The rail operator has laid more than 12,035m2 of asphalt as part of Northern’s ‘A Better Way to Go’ campaign. The £650,000 parking project was funded by Network Rail. Station car parks have been given a facelift at: Windermere; Hyde North; Reddish North; Newton for Hyde; Disley; Dent; Styal, Castleton; Grange-over-Sands; and Meadowhall Northern has also re-lined the car parks to create safe walking routes and 353 parking spaces, including accessible bays. Mark Powles, customer and commercial director at Northern, said: “Our priority is always to make sure stations are safe, accessible and welcoming places for our customers. We are transforming our network to give customers better journeys and the improvements at our car parks will ensure those journeys begin and end in a
42 | FEBRUARY 2021 | PARKING REVIEW
NORTHERN
Northern invests £650,000 in car parks
Dent’s car park more pleasant environment. “We’ve made great strides with enhancements, large and small, across our entire network and car parks are just one part of it. Our new ‘A Better Way to Go’ campaign demonstrates the hard work that has taken place as we continue to transform rail travel in the north and I’d like
ple to travel by public transport and provide additional flood protection to the people and businesses of Mytholmroyd who have suffered greatly in the past. “The scheme has seen the creation of further car park spaces, providing further accessibility to the rail network. This is also the first of the park & ride car parks funded by the combined authority to include provisions for future electric charging bays, which further supports our drive to tackle the region’s climate emergency and create a greener, cleaner place for our communities to work and live.”
to thank everyone who has been involved in making such a positive impact for the north.” Matt Rice, route director for Network Rail’s North and East route, said: “For many passengers, the station car park is the beginning of their rail experience. The improvements will make these gateways to the railway much more welcoming, and we’re delighted to have worked alongside our partners at Northern to deliver these upgrades.” The Better Way to Go campaign, which will deliver improvements at stations, on trains and online, will include: • a mobility scooter policy • roll-out of more bodycam units for station staff • improved CCTV • car park refurbishments • platform extensions. Northern has launched an online tool to allow people to find out about improvements made at their local station. www.northernrailway.co.uk/better
