Northampton’s new £20 million railway station has been opened by transport secretary Patrick McLoughlin. 

The new station has been designed to provide a modern gateway to the town, and is hoped to help meet growing demand from visitors and commuters and improve journeys for thousands of passengers every day.

The new building is more than twice the size of the previous station, and has also been furnished with more ticket gates in order to cut bottlenecks. It was funded partially by the government, which provided £10 million of investment. 

Mr McLoughlin commented: “As part of our long-term economic plan, we are investing record amounts in building a world-class rail network fit for the 21st century.

“I am delighted that passengers in Northampton are able to benefit from this impressive new station, with further improvements to come as the work is completed.”

This follows news that London Midland has launched ten new trains into service on its network, which amounts to 40 extra carriages. As well as improving journeys for passengers in Northampton, these trains will also provide extra seats from those in Milton Keynes, Leighton Buzzard, Tring, Hemel Hempstead and Watford Junction.