Network Rail £3.5 million investment on footbridge and canopy at Dover Priory Station
16:14, 24 February 2021
updated: 16:46, 24 February 2021
A railway station's footbridge and canopy have been upgraded in a £3.5million investment.
Refurbishment and repair work at Dover Priory, by Network Rail, will increase the lifespan of the bridge while providing an upgraded canopy roof on the platforms to keep passengers dry in the rain.
Work included steelwork repairs, lift shaft concrete repairs and painting, replacement of the footbridge roof and the installation of a new lighting system.
Fiona Taylor, Kent route director for Network Rail, said: “Our Railway Upgrade Plan is all about providing a safer and more reliable railway fit for the 21st century.
"We are making full use of our resources to carry out these improvements, enhancing the railway at Dover Priory which will bring long-term benefits to passengers.”
Kyle Miller, station manager for Southeastern, said: “We’re always wanting to do more for our passengers.
"This refurbishment makes a big difference to the station environment, improving the appearance of the footbridge and the platform canopies and ensuring that the fabric of the building is in the best possible condition.”
Dover Priory, currently managed by Southeastern, is a key Kent station with three routes to London.
One is for Victoria Station via Canterbury and the others are for Charing Cross and St Pancras International via Folkestone and Ashford.
Dover Priory opened on July 22, 1861 as the temporary terminus of the London, Chatham and Dover Railway (LCDR).
It became a through station on November 1, 1861, with the completion of a tunnel through the Western Heights to gain access to the Western Docks area, where LCDR created Dover Harbour station.
The station was known as Dover Town but was renamed in July 1863.
The Southern Railway consolidated passenger services at Priory in 1927 and modernised the station between 1930 and 1932 and it reopened on 8 May 1932.
