Pedestrians allowed through city station while subway is closed

Pedestrians will be allowed through Gloucester Railway Station while the underpass is closed for refurbishment.

Work is underway to remove the steps and a blind bend to make the underpass accessible.

However, the underpass will be closed until the summer and a diversion has been put in place via London Road.

But Gloucester MP Richard Graham and Gloucester City Council leaders have worked with Great Western Railway to come up with a solution which will allow access through the station.

Anybody can cross through the station itself, using the footbridge, for the duration of the works – so long as they enter and exit the station in 15 minutes.

People wishing to cross the station will need to sign up for a GWR SmartCard.

There’s a £1 cost but this is just to validate the connection to the bank account to ensure that if someone were to hop onto a train they can’t evade paying the relevant fare. The £1 can be reclaimed at a later date.

Mr Graham said: “I’m pleased that we – my office, GWR, and the city council – have been able to find a solution that allows residents to walk through the train station while improvement works are carried out on the underpass, and I hope that anyone who finds this useful will make full use of the SmartCard.”

Councillor Jeremy Hilton (LD, Kingsholm and Wotton), who represents the area, said he was pleased that a solution had been found.

He said: “At the full council meeting in January, I asked council leader Richard Cook what work was being done to allow pedestrians to use the footbridge across the railway station, whilst the underpass is closed for its refurbishment.

“He said he would ask council officers to approach Network Rail. I am delighted that a practical solution has been found. It will shorten the walk from the bus station to Gloucestershire Royal Hospital, whilst the subway is out of action.

“That can only be good for staff, outpatients and visitors. It will also be popular with residents of my ward who regularly use the underpass to access the city centre.”

The underpass work is part of a wider project to install improved lighting, CCTV, a widened entrance, the removal of the current blind corner, and making it step free and accessible to all.