£6 million modern makeover for Crawley's 60s railway station

The pricey upscale has given Crawley Railway Station a brighter concourse, a new plaza and an increased number of wide ticket gates to give passengers a much-improved experience as they flit in and out of town.

The station building was first unveiled in 1968 and, over the past year, Crawley Borough Council has been working with Network Rail, Southern Rail and Arora Group to bring the aging facility up to modern standards.

It's hoped the work will make the station more accessible and passengers will find it easier to make their way around the station.

Lucy McAuliffe, Sussex Rail's interim Sussex Route Director, said: “It’s great to see that Crawley station has been given a new lease of life – this was the first major upgrade to facilities in over 40 years.

“The key focus of this project was to improve the overall passenger experience and make the surrounding environment feel more welcoming to the wider community.

“The teams prioritised developing spaces for passengers to relax before and after making their journeys which is why a larger waiting area was created, along with a new café and retail units with direct access to the concourse.”

Crawley Borough Councillor and cabinet member for Planning and Economic development Atif Nawaz, added: “It’s great to see the refurbished station concourse, which is already providing a much-enhanced experience for passengers. Crawley Station is a major gateway into the town centre and these improvements – coupled with those planned for outside the station – deliver a better environment for all station users.”

Henry Smith, Crawley MP added: “76 years ago this week Crawley was designated as a new town and so after the public private partnership that has come together to fund a £6 million major revamp of Crawley railway station with new state-of-the-art facilities after many decades is a welcome gift to the Borough’s passengers. As a regular commuter myself I look forward to the user-friendly services.”

Expanded cycle storage facilities have also been installed at the station. With 44 additional spaces in total, it should be easier for passengers to ride to the station and safely store their bikes before heading on the train.

Beyond this, and as part of a plan for the area surrounding the station, a new public footbridge over the railway is set to be built.

Sanjay Arora, Arora Group’s chief operating officer, said: “Arora Group acquired Overline House and the land adjacent to Crawley station as part of a transformative project to bring forward over 300 residential units through a series of new developments and converting Overline House from office use to residential.

“With the intent of promoting wider area regeneration, Arora Group have invested significant funding into the station improvements and have project managed the successful delivery of the station upgrade through their construction division, Grove Developments, and their onward supply chain partners. This marks the completion of the first phase of the overall redevelopment.”

The refurbishment is also part of a wider scheme of work led by Crawley Borough Council to improve the look and feel of the town.

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