I was very proud today as MP for Harlow to have opened the new refurbishment of Harlow Town Station and cut the ribbon for the new car park. The Station was celebrating its fifty years with a brand new facelift.
It was a great celebration. The many guests were welcomed by the incredible Harlow Steel Band which played just outside the Station Entrance. As we all assembled upstairs, there were a number of speeches, from National Express, Essex Council and Harlow Renaissance.
When I spoke, I made the point that in Harlow, we always use the term 'Gateway' to describe various regeneration proposals. Yet, there could never be more obvious a 'Gateway' than our main railway station. For years, this has been an iconic building, yet quite grim inside.
No longer. It now has a beautiful wooden ceiling, two new excellent lifts and state of the art floors and benches. At last people arriving in Harlow will feel that the Town really is the place to be. I only hope that Network Express will repair the damaged roof and restore the platform, as well as National Express have taken care of their part of the station.
The Station plays an important part in the regeneration of Harlow : changing what is necessary in order to conserve what is best about Harlow's traditions.
I enjoyed too, meeting many of the station staff, who put so much work in making the new station a reality. The new station car-park, is a similar success story, completed two months earlier than planned. Hopefully the Station parking problems will now be over.
P.S. It was great to see the exhibition prepared by Harlow Museum Historian David Devine. All the history of the station is contained in a huge frame which hangs proudly on the station wall.
by Robert Halfon - www.roberthalfon.blogspot.com
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