COMMUTERS using Great Malvern Station are set to benefit from a £150,000 joint-agency refurbishment project to improve passenger safety and transport links.

Central Trains - which manages the Avenue Road complex - is set to splash out £95,000 on installing a total of nine CCTV cameras at the station covering the platforms, subway and booking office.

The train company has now received tenders for the project and work is due to start imminently.

The work is one of the company's franchise extension commitments agreed with the Strategic Rail Authority when its franchise was extended in March, last year, for another two years.

It is also upgrading customer information systems on the platforms so delays or changes to services come up automatically rather than having to be inputted manually.

Spokesman Ged Burgess said the investment showed the company's commitment to the station.

"It's also keeping the appearance and historic character because the cameras are being mounted on parts of the station where it isn't listed so it won't spoil the ambience," he added.

Meanwhile, Worcester-shire County Council is spending £60,000 on install-ing two new bus shelters in Avenue Road for the station. The cash will also be used to install a crossing, introduce higher kerbs to allow level-boarding access to buses and create a covered bike rack at the station. Work is due to start this summer.

Jackie Carey, of Yates Hay Road, Malvern - who began a campaign in November 2003 to improve trains serving the town - said the refurbishment schemes were welcome.

"Hopefully, people will not lose sight of the fact that more is needed though," she added.

"It'd be good if these improvements in the infrastructure are backed up with improvements in trains running more closely on time."