Plans are underway to create a first class waiting lounge at Huddersfield Railway Station.
First Trans-Pennine Express have applied for planning consent for new waiting area to “meet passenger expectation and needs”.
The rail operator says: “The first class waiting room is required to meet a business need for first class passengers, providing a more comfortable space to wait and work, with access to toilets and refreshments.”
They intend to use a current training room that was one the former Lancashire and Yorkshire Railway Ticket Office.
The application adds: “The station buildings are locked at night to prevent vandalism, rough sleeping and due to safety concerns regarding night-time use of unsupervised spaces.
“Though the station has canopies, it is windswept and cold at times, with rain being blown into the platform areas. As a result covered and enclosed waiting facilities are required for passenger comfort. Many of the platforms are remote from the existing waiting facilities, which in any case need to be locked at night.
“The short waiting intervals of trains in the station, the remoteness of some platforms, and the need to provide closer access to trains, particularly for the less mobile requires that additional waiting facilities are provided on the platforms.
“There is also an expected increase in passenger numbers and increased waiting accommodation is also required to address this need.”
The rail operator also wants new lighting for the car park.
