AN ENGLISH town that was once considered one of the most important places in the country will get a massive train station upgrade.
This multi-million pound refurbishment is set to improve access for passengers and support businesses.
Bletchley Station will receive £17million to support the refurbishment of the eastern access to the station.
This comes after a lot of campaigning from both the Milton Keynes community and MPs to improve the accessibility to the station.
Chancellor Rachel Reeves said on the announcement: “Labour is backing Bletchley – this investment will boost jobs and improve connectivity for local businesses and residents, maximising the benefits of East West Rail for the community here.”
Milton Keynes Council is also offering £5million towards the project, that aims to support the ongoing regeneration of Bletchley.
The project hopes to refurbish the eastern entrance of the station, creating a direct gateway between the station and Bletchley’s main high street, Queensway.
At the moment, passengers alighting at the station have a long walk under a bridge to get to the town centre, crossing a busy road.
The new entrance will be built on Saxon Street, on the other side of the station, with the existing entrance set to remain open.
Bletchley Station is located on the first section of the East West Rail line, which hopes to eventually connect Oxford and Cambridge by train.
Historically, Bletchley Station served as a vital transport hub for the World War II codebreakers, who would take the five-minute walk to Bletchley Park.
Now, Bletchley Park is one of Britain’s most vibrant heritage attractions, welcoming over 250,000 tourists a year.
Callum Anderson, MP for Buckingham and Bletchley, said: “This is a huge moment for Bletchley as it has never made sense that our station has turned its back on the town centre, making it harder for residents, commuters and visitors to access Queensway.”
David Hughes, chief executive of East West Rail, said: “We are really pleased to see that funding has now been confirmed to allow the construction of the new eastern entrance at Bletchley station.
“This investment underlines our commitment to working with partners to ensure East West Rail delivers lasting benefits for passengers and communities along the route.”
Details on the timeline and construction phases of the project are yet to be announced.