£6m station design moves a step closer
INVERNESS Railway Station is on track for a major new look, with plans for a
£6 million transformation going to tender later this year.
For years now it has been recognised that this city landmark did not live up to its status as an important gateway to the Highland capital and beyond, and action to make it more welcoming to visitors moved a step closer.
The new look will complement planned streetscape improvements in the city centre.
As the ScotRail Alliance made the announcement yesterday, it said: "We have designs on greatness for Inverness Station."
The redevelopment will include more shopping options in the concourse, along with a more dominant frontage on to Station Square and Academy Street.
And a vital feature will be upgraded pedestrian links to the nearby Farraline Park bus station and Falcon Square.
Global engineering company Mott MacDonald is working on detailed designs for how the station’s frontage, forecourt and concourse will look when the redevelopment is complete in 2018.
The funding package includes £1.9 million from the Scottish Government’s stations fund and later this year an application for increased funding will also be made to the Inverness Townscape Heritage Fund, as part of the ongoing redevelopment work around the city centre.
ScotRail Alliance’s project lead Peter O’Connell said: "Inverness is ready for a railway station that matches the dynamic and forward-looking development of the cityscape.
"Close collaboration with Highland Council and transport group HiTrans and working with our immediate neighbours at the station, will deliver the best possible improvements to facilities and services in and around Inverness station."
Inverness Provost Helen Carmichael welcomed the start of the design phase of the project.
She said: "This will transform the station and its surroundings so they are far safer and more accessible, as well as more attractive to commuters and tourists wishing to continue their journey, on foot or by bike, when they arrive in Inverness.
"Highland Council is a key partner on this project, working closely with Abellio ScotRail and HiTrans to deliver one of the main actions in the City Centre Development Brief. The improved integration of transport services and infrastructure at Inverness Railway Station will encourage more people to visit Inverness and the Highlands, in a low-carbon way."
Kevin Haggarty, Mott MacDonald’s project director, said: "We’re excited to be partnering the ScotRail Alliance to create a modern transport facility that will benefit the local people and businesses, and the many tourists that visit the region."
City MSP Fergus Ewing, cabinet secretary for rural economy and connectivity, said: "Inverness station has already benefited from almost £2 million of funding from the Scottish Government’s Scottish stations fund.
"I look forward to seeing the new enhanced station taking its place as a fitting gateway to the Highlands."
Frank Roach, partnership manager with HiTrans, was delighted. He said: "It will be of great benefit not just to the travelling public but also to the wider city, allowing the station to play its full role at the centre of the historic Highland capital."
The redevelopment will coincide with the arrival of the high-speed train fleet from late 2018 onwards, bringing faster journeys from Glasgow, Edinburgh, Dundee and Perth to Inverness.
