Chiltern Railways reopen Dorridge Station waiting room after heritage refurbishment

Chiltern Railways has officially reopened Dorridge station waiting room following several months of refurbishment work to restore the heritage of the station.

The train operator have worked with the Friends of Dorridge Station community group to match the quality and heritage of the waiting room on platform one which was transformed several years ago. The project began earlier this year and was officially reopened by Piers Wolf, Chairman of the Friends of Dorridge Station.

Funded primarily by Chiltern Railways with additional funding provided by a grant from the Railway Heritage Trust, the restoration project includes vintage posters and paint work inside the waiting room, installation of a newly restored original fireplace, refurbishment of the floor, new lights and heater and two new heritage-style benches.

Richard Allan, Managing Director for Chiltern Railways said, “Chiltern Railways are committed to improving our stations for our customers and ensuring that they are a pleasant place to be. We’re pleased to be able to re-open Dorridge station waiting room with these new improvements while still maintaining the original architecture and heritage feel. We hope our passengers will be pleased with the refurbishment that has taken place.”

Piers Wolf, Chairman of the Friends of Dorridge Station said: “Following our creation of a waiting room on Platform one in 2014, we were concerned that passengers on Platforms two/three were less well served so we are very grateful to Chiltern Railways for listening to us and working closely to our wish-list in order to provide such a welcoming and attractive environment. We value our relationship with Chiltern and hope to continue finding ways whereby, together, we can restore the station’s 1930’s appearance while providing a 21st century passenger experience.”

Paul Childs, Company Secretary for Railways Heritage Trust said they were pleased to have been able to support the refurbishment of the waiting room, which gave careful consideration to the heritage aspects of the station.