Greater Anglia Trains representative spoke at March Society.

Alan, who is the organisation's stakeholder, community and customer engagement manager, reminded everyone that over the years many improvements had been made to March Station.

It had been subjected to frequent vandalism and suffered anti-social behaviour issues in the years before 2010.

On becoming area manager, Alan said he worked with the local community and a  'Friends Group' was formed.

Since then, The Friends of March Railway Station (FOMRS) volunteer group has worked to re-furbish the old buildings along the disused platform and the ‘Station Adopters’ volunteer group has continued to care for the working platforms and the station’s environs.

He stated that a tenant who would provide much-needed refreshment facilities at the station would be a most welcome addition, completing the newly refurbished and rebuilt ticket office area.

Alan acknowledged that the national rail strikes had caused difficulties for the public over the last 18 months but that the RMT strike is now over. However, one dispute awaits a resolution.

The provision of a more frequent Ipswich-Peterborough service is still dependent on infrastructure work at Ely North Junction. Greater Anglia will continue to investigate whether any small scale improvements can be made in advance of any decision.

The building of Cambridge South Station is proceeding well. On completion in 2025 it will support the expanding workforces at the hospital complexes and the Biomedical Campus, south of the city.

The benefits of travel by rail compared to other forms of transport are continually being promoted and the use of trains for leisure travel is increasing. Rail commuting is also increasing but still remains lower than it was pre-pandemic.

As the UK population grows then demand for rail travel is expected to grow. Marketing efforts are aimed both at attracting people who don’t normally travel by rail, as well as existing rail passengers, encouraging them to travel more frequently and to take advantage of the many special offers.

Most tickets are currently being purchased online rather that at ticket offices. Only 12-15 per cent of travellers now purchase tickets at station ticket offices.

Issues brought up by the audience included the absence of later trains between Cambridge and March and how this effects local people who wish to work in Cambridge. Alan responded that there was a known demand for later services and the industry is looking at this.

The variation in fare prices between for identical journeys was also questioned and Alan agreed that more simplification of fares is needed.

The next meeting of The March Society will discuss the topic of the 'stories and history of Station Road Cemetery’ with Peter Wright.

The meeting takes place at 7pm in March Library on Wednesday, March 20. Come along for an interesting talk, refreshments and latest March news. All welcome. Members £2, visitors £3. Website https://themarchsociety.chessck.co.uk/ Facebook and Twitter.