Fair Wind for Waverley
08 Jul 2010
The latest part of Network Rail's comprehensive redevelopment of Edinburgh's Waverley Station will be underway next year now that permission has been granted for a new entrance from Princes Street.New covered steps and escalator access are planned between Princes Street and the north entrance to Waverley station. This will be complemented by lift access from the station to Princes Street via the roof of Princes Mall.
The Waverley Steps are famed for funnelling gusts of wind on stormy days. The long flight of steps leads up from Waverley station to the east end of Princes Street. The Waverley Steps entrance is now expected to close in early 2011, with work on the escalators and staircase likely to be completed within a year.
Currently the 34,000 square metre roof is being replaced and re-glazed as part of the programme. When finished the new roof will flood the station with natural light. Step-free access from Market Street will be installed at the south side of the station. Improvements to Platforms 8 and 9, station buildings and platform-concourse surfacing will help make Waverley a better place for all.
Says Ron McAulay, Network Rail Director, Scotland, ‘It's great news for our customers that we finally have the approval to carry out these vital upgrades to the station. The Waverley Steps project is vital to helping the station become more accessible for everyone. The existing steps are impossible to access if you are using a wheelchair, and near impossible with a pram or with a lot of baggage.
‘With around 37% of Waverley's 24 million annual passengers making use of this entrance, it's easy to see why we need to make better use of this access point. We are now embarking on the biggest enhancement of Waverley Station since the end of the 19th century.
‘We are acutely aware of the demands of passengers and neighbours to keep the station working with as little noise and disruption as possible while we carry out these exciting improvements and we are confident that careful planning will enable us to do that.'