Work has started on a Family Lounge at York station.
The venue, due to open in December, promises a dedicated space to keep children entertained and parents and carers relaxed.
It will feature a children’s play area based on York’s historic walls, beach huts with tabletop games, wall games, soft flooring and crawl spaces.
There will also be specially commissioned murals focusing on York’s famous landmarks and the city through the ages.
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Also promised is plenty of space for parents and carers to sit back and relax with sofas, wooden bench seating, and coffee tables, as well as a comfortable space for breastfeeding.
The move follows City of York granting planning approval for the project in a former convenience inside the station last month, after plans were submitted in June.
The new LNER Family Lounge will be the second from LNER after one in London Kings Cross, which opened in October 2022, and attracts thousands of users every year. However, it is open to passengers travelling on any operator.
Colette Casey, LNER’s Customer Experience Director, said: “As a parent, I’m delighted that LNER is introducing Family Lounges with a new space in York our latest addition.
“York is a major hub station for us with millions of customers starting or ending their journeys here each year. We constantly strive to deliver improved experiences for all our customers as they travel with us and providing these new facilities is bound to aid that.
“We want families to see train travel as an option for them. We hope that this new lounge will provide fun and entertainment for children and a space to relax for parents and carers.”
To ensure LNER’s Family Lounges are of benefit to families, the train operator has previously consulted with the Campaign for Family Friendly Trains, a group of parents and carers working for better facilities for children and their families on the UK rail network.
A spokesperson for the campaign said: "We are pleased to see LNER power ahead with the introduction of a new family lounge at York station, offering a welcoming and comfortable space for families travelling by train.
“The popularity of the family lounge at King’s Cross station highlights just how valuable these facilities are, and we congratulate LNER on expanding this initiative to another station in its network.
“We hope this sets a positive trend for other train operators to follow and leads to more family-friendly facilities across the UK."
For more tips on travelling with children on LNER services, visit: https://www.lner.co.uk/our-trains/travelling-with-children/
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