Merseytravel funds station car park expansion

The car park at Blundellsands and Crosby train station in north Liverpool has had a £340,000 revamp to expand its size.

The car park has more than doubled the number of spaces to 102 and has space for 74 bicycles.

Funded by transport authority Merseytravel and delivered by Merseyrail, the work includes improvements to the existing entrance and a taxi drop off point, as well as there being new lighting and CCTV and improvements to the pedestrian access.

There are also secure bicycle parking equipment lockers on the Liverpool bound platform, which, along with the bicycle storage facilities, have been funded from money awarded by Cycling England.

Last year Merseyrail and Merseytravel secured a £1m bid to become a national cycling demonstration train operator with Blundellsands and Crosby station being one of 18 to benefit from the facilities.

Neil Scales, chief executive and director general of Merseytravel, said: "These works will bring about some major improvements to the area and the increase in parking spaces and cycles storage will be welcomed by our passengers.

"We have an ambitious programme of improvements to public transport facilities across Merseyside and these improvements will allow the station to operate more effectively."

Cllr Mark Dowd, chair of Merseytravel, added: "We hope that the increase in both car and cycle parking spaces will encourage people to break their journey at the station and use the train whenever possible.

"Merseyrail is a cycle friendly train operator allowing the free carriage of bicycles on trains at any time of day, however the new secure cycle storage offers yet another option to our passengers."