To discuss the pick-up and drop-off point at Maidenhead Station, along with the potential for the railway bridge to be repainted.

Ed Goose, Great Western Railway (GWR) and Louise Gurney, Network Rail, attended the meeting to discuss the pick up and drop off point at Maidenhead Station and the potential for the railway bridge to be decorated.

Ed Goose informed Members that following the pandemic, passenger levels were about 80% of pre-pandemic levels while journeys into London were at about 46% of pre-pandemic levels. There had been an increase in weekend travel and due to the pandemic the government had provided £16 billion of funding. Cross Rail was expected to bring many benefits to Maidenhead once it had fully opened.

Louise Gurney explained that she was the Network Rail sponsor for the Cross Rail project. They were currently working with partners to look at the best options for Maidenhead Station, a site visit was planned with partners to consider what the best outcome could be for passengers with the funding which had been made available.

Councillor G Jones said that it was great to see the station forecourt being revamped but there was no drop off for passengers, only parking for staff. He was informed that this was an RBWM lead scheme and they wanted to make services accessible to the public, he was advised to discuss any concerns with officers.

Councillor G Jones also mentioned that he was concerned about cycle storage and the number of thefts which had been reported, he suggested that the storage was brought closer to the main ticket office. He was informed this could be looked at and considered.

Councillor G Jones continued that the bridge was in a poor condition and needed to be redecorated. He was informed that this could also be looked at but additional funding could be required, GWR and Network Rail needed to be mindful of how best to spend tax payers money.

Councillor Singh said the station was ‘the bike theft capital of Europe’ and that residents no longer reported thefts as they happened so frequently. He also said that the area underneath the bridge was filthy and covered in bird excrement. With regards to parking he understood that staff needed parking close to the station entrance due to anti-social behaviour, he also requested that arrangements for taxi drivers could be looked at. Councillor Singh felt that there needed to be a multi-agency approach, the council wanted to encourage as many people as possible to cycle to the station. He appreciated that staff safety was a priority but suggested that next steps could be to work with RBWM and other agencies to look at the station holistically in the short, medium and long term. 

Councillor McWilliams mentioned that the train station was built in the 19^th Century, which meant that a lot of the architecture was strictive and felt that the southern side of the station was looking tired. He was informed that GWR and Network Rail were looking at the northern entrance where the ticket machines were placed and it was planned to also look at widening the southern entrance in the future.

The Forum noted the update.