Work to rebuild south Essex station will begin 'within months' after long delays

WORK to demolish a train station and build a new “modern” replacement will begin in the "next few months", an MP has confirmed after long delays.

Plans to rebuild Wickford Station were first unveiled in 2020 by Greater Anglia and the old ticket office was razed to the ground, but delays caused by the Covid pandemic saw the project stall.

Now, Rayleigh and Wickford MP Mark Francois has revealed the Department for Transport has agreed to fund the £4million scheme and work will begin later this year.

It comes after the MP and campaigners have repeatedly called on work to continue.

This week Mr Francois received letter from Rail Minister, Huw Merriman, stating that the Department for Transport will fund the rebuilding of the station.

Long delays - Councillor George Jeffery called for work to start again in 2022 (Image: George Jeffrey)

Mr Francois said: “I have been persistently pursuing this issue both with Greater Anglia and the Department of Transport for around two years, so I am delighted we now have official confirmation that the station will be rebuilt.

“I’d like to thank the Rail Minister, Huw Merriman MP, for paying personal attention to this and I look forward to discussing the final details of the project with Jamie Burles, the managing director of Greater Anglia, in my Westminster office, later this week.”

Previous plans show the station would be demolished and replaced with a bigger building and longer platforms.

Mr Merriman added that he is pleased to confirm the end of the stalled period of the refurbishment and believes it will be an “upgrade” for constituents.

He said: “I’m pleased to be able to confirm funding for the redevelopment of Wickford railway station.

“Mark Francois has spearheaded this campaign and played an instrumental role in this outcome through his meetings and interactions with me and Greater Anglia.

“Thanks to Mark’s hard work, this critical upgrade is secured for his constituents.”

Greater Anglia will now go out to tender on the project.

It is hoped the project would be fully delivered on by an estimated April 2025.