About Us
We are a group of train users and architectural enthusiasts who want to stop the
decay and destruction of our remaining railway built heritage, and to encourage its
restoration and sustainable reuse.
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Our simple objectives are:
A halt to the neglect of East Anglia’s railway heritage.
Government enforcement of Greater Anglia’s contractual obligations to repair and
maintain its building stock.
The removal of stations not required for railway operations, from Network Rail and
Greater Anglia control.
The release of closed stations to business and community use at realistic rents.
Mixed use to include the provision of the travelling public’s three basic needs.
Mission statement
When travelling around East Anglia by train, or even by bus or car, have you noticed the number of railway stations which are boarded up, with no facilities for travellers; or even worse, in a derelict state and on the verge of falling down?
East Anglia was one of the first regions in Britain to develop the rail network , nearly about 180 years ago. For the first time ever, people could travel all over the country, and this great advance of technology was celebrated with beautifully designed station buildings, in which passengers could wait in comfort, obtain refreshments and use the toilet. No more. Network Rail and the train operators no longer share the pride of their predecessors in these lovely stations, and many lie forlorn and abandoned just waiting for the bulldozer’s coup de grace. As ticket offices disappear, the stations are closed: no loos, no buffets – just bus shelters.
Greater Anglia, which has the responsibility for 132 stations is one of the worst offenders: if it cannot get permission to knock a building down, it will just let it rot until it falls down. Even listing by Historic England is no guarantee of survival. Many stations which are at least watertight, have been boarded up, but any efforts by local support groups to get them reopened for mixed commercial/travel/community use, are thwarted by Greater Anglia, with demands of unrealistic rents and for all refurbishment costs to be borne by the tenant. There have been one or two success stories, where station buildings have been put to new use, but these are the exceptions.
The time has now come for a dramatic change in the way railway stations are owned and managed. If Network Rail and Greater Anglia are not prepared to work with business and the local communities, then quite simply responsibility for the buildings should be taken away from them and handed over to a trust charged with ensuring a sustainable future for them.
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Please join us in our campaign to save our valuable railway heritage from further decline and ultimate destruction.
Piers Hart
Chairman
Save Our Stations