WEST Kirby and Green Lane are among several Merseyrail stations to be given a facelift under a £3.7m programme of improvements.

Work will be carried out over the next three years with visible improvements on the first stations in the next 12 months.

Merseyrail, with the support of Merseytravel and Network Rail, successfully secured the funding from the National Stations Improvement Programme.

The scheme was established by the Department for Transport to enhance customers’ experience when using stations and to bring about long lasting improvements in the environment for the benefit of passengers.

Stations to be improved include:

• James Street: the Water Street entrance will be refurbished to reflect the splendour of the original features. It will also include improvements on Platform 2, the current emergency platform that will improve the visual impact for customers waiting to board Wirral-bound trains.

• West Kirby: canopy works and provision of wind breaks to support the Network Rail scheme.

• Waterloo: new canopy to replace the variety of shelters on the platform which will also improve access to and from the platform.

• Green Lane and Bebington Stations on the Wirral line: refurbishment and improvement of passenger areas and improvements to lighting and CCTV coverage.

• Ainsdale: major refurbishment with improvements to the passenger areas.

• Hall Road: working with Merseytravel to provide a car park to improve facilities for customers.

Maarten Spaargaren, managing director of Merseyrail, said: “I am delighted that through this successful partnership working we are able to make the stations experience for the Merseyrail customers even better.

“Some stations really needed a good sprucing up, and that will now happen.”

David Brown, chief executive of Merseytravel, said: “This funding will allow us to continue to provide improvements to stations across the Merseytravel network to deliver the best possible facilities for our passengers”