A £4million project will start next week at High Wycombe station, with a raft of changes including a new footbridge over the tracks.

Rail operator Chiltern Railways says work will begin straight away on the scheme, which will see lengthening of the northbound platforms and the introduction of a bridge.

Work at the firm’s third busiest station will allow more capacity for passengers, with the existing subway tunnel between platforms 2 and 3 replaced with a footbridge.

John Salmon, area manager for Network Rail, said: “Work to extend platforms is incredibly important as the number of passengers travelling on this route continues to rise.

“Working in partnership with Chiltern Railways we are investing in the future of the railway, enabling longer trains to call at the stations and provide more seats for passengers.

“There will be some short term disruption while the work is completed but the long term benefits will far outweigh this.”

Network Rail and Chiltern Railways say the project will provide long term additional capacity at the station and along the route to provide for an extra 1,000 peak passengers into London by April 2019.

The subway linking platforms 2 and 3 will be closed from the beginning of June when the platform lengthening begins.

A temporary bridge will be in operation until work is complete and a new bridge is installed.

Customers with accessibility needs who need to transfer between platforms 2 and 3 will be given a ‘complimentary shuttle service’ run between the two platforms during the work - as the temporary bridge will not have lift facilities.

In addition to work at the station, work will also take place on the track over a number of Sundays from May to December, which may lead to cancellations or delays.

From April 27 until completion, around 20 spaces in the car park will be removed to be used for the project, which rail bosses say is “unavoidable”.

For more information about this project, please visit www.chilternrailways.co.uk/high-wycombe-upgrade