Pick-up and drop-off at Maidenhead station is 'top of the list of our priorities', GWR rep says

A Great Western Railway (GWR) representative has said pick-up and drop-off points at Maidenhead Railway Station is ‘top of the list of our priorities'.

The redesigned forecourt at the station, which was opened in 2021, has been widely criticised by residents and councillors – with the lack of pick-up and drop-off facilities a major talking point.

In March, GWR dismissed rumours that ANPR cameras could be installed on the forecourt to catch drivers stopping for this purpose – but insisted the new-look forecourt has never been a designated drop-off area.

At the unveiling of new facilities at the station last week, representatives from both GWR and Network Rail and Royal Borough council leader Simon Werner said discussions were on-going on ways to make the forecourt more accessible for pick-up and drop-off.

The issue was again discussed at a Maidenhead Town Forum meeting last week, when councillor Clive Baskerville (Lib Dem, Pinkneys Green) said he has noticed drivers using surrounding roads to drop-off passengers.

He said: “Having driven past the station today (Tuesday, September 3), I noticed a lot of people particularly around the Courtlands, bottom of Shoppenhangers Road area, using that as a drop-off point, which is fine if you’re literally just jumping out your car and running into the station.

“But if you’ve got two heavy bags and you’re elderly, then it becomes a bit of a trial for you to say the least."

Echoing the concerns, Cllr Gurch Singh (Lib Dem, St Mary’s), said this is a ‘genuinely very serious issue’ but he added this can be ‘very easily solved’ by making the forecourt shorter and adding 4-5 bays for pick-up and drop-off.

At the event on Friday, September 6, Cllr Werner told the Advertiser: “What we’re looking [at] now is how we can make small changes to improve the drop-off so more people can use it as it used to be.”

He explained that they would not be able to ‘take it right back to how it used to be’, but improvements can be made to the way the forecourt works, so more people can use it as a drop-off point.

Joanna Grew, industry programme director for the Thames Valley area for Network Rail, said: “There are still some changes that we’d like to see through, and we’ll be working with the local council and Great Western Railway to see what we can do moving forward on the forecourt.”

A spokesman for GWR said that, following the initial development of the forecourt, the operator recognises that there are ‘some improvements that can be made to ensure the space fully delivers for all its users’.

At the event, Rachel Geliamassi, GWR customer services director said there are ‘some really great discussions’ taking place to see what can be done to try and mitigate some of the concerns.

"It's top of the list of our priorities at the moment," she added.

Maidenhead MP Josh Reynolds, who has previously raised the issue as a councillor on the Maidenhead Town Forum, said he would ‘love to see more improvements’.

He added: “There’s a lot more work which needs to be done to rectify some of those issues people are facing.

“So, I’m really keen to work with Network Rail, work with GWR and within the council and transport team to see what can be done to fix that, to just improve that service for residents.”

Former Prime Minister and Maidenhead MP Theresa May said the remodelled forecourt has ‘certainly improved the look of the station’, but she believes there is ‘work to be done’ in this area.

She said: “It has been certainly an issue in the past.

“People do want to be able to drop off and pick up people, friends, [and] family who have been using the service.”