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National Express train operator c2c has completed a facelift of Leigh-on-Sea station ahead of the mountain bike event at Hadleigh Farm this weekend.

The £300,000 upgrade, funded by both c2c and Network Rail, has included the repainting of the entire station, the replacement of more than 100 panes of glass in the waiting rooms and platform shelters, the installation of special Olympic direction signs, flags and a mountain bike graphic on the front of the station, and the installation of new flower displays.

The new centrepiece at the station is a new 16m x 2.5m mural designed by thirteen Extended Diploma Fine Art students from South Essex College, which depicts picturesque scenes from Leigh to promote the town to visitors for the Games.  

c2c Head of Retail Hugh Jennings said: "This weekend the eyes of the world will be on the mountain bike event at Hadleigh Farm, and we want to make sure that visitors get a great impression of Leigh on their arrival. This isn't just a one-off for the weekend - our regular passengers will also benefit from these improvements for months to come."

Aaron Bibby, 18, from Westcliff, who is one of the students who produced the mural said: "It's great to be able to say that we have achieved something on such a scale and that lots of people are going to see it, it's just good to get your work out there and get it seen by people and bring the art to them rather than them having to go to a gallery.

This weekend c2c is operating a total of 285,000 seats, more than double the normal number, to ensure there is sufficient capacity for both Games visitors and other leisure travellers. Special dedicated shuttle trains will run between London and Leigh-on-Sea, all other trains will be doubled in length to eight carriages, and extra late night services will be running to help people get home from the Olympic Park.

ENDS

-          For more information contact Chris Atkinson on 020 7444 1868 or at chris.atkinson@nationalexpress.com

-          About c2c: c2c is the award-winning train operator running services between Fenchurch Street and Shoeburyness, serving 26 stations in East London and South Essex. c2c is delivering the best performance in the UK rail industry, holding the UK records for annual punctuality (97.1%) and 4-weekly punctuality (98.8%) by a franchised train operator. Customer satisfaction with c2c services measured 91% in the latest National Passenger Survey

-          About National Express in the UK: National Express includes National Express coaches, National Express West Midlands, National Express Coventry, National Express Dundee, c2c, The Kings Ferry; the Midland Metro and Eurolines.

-          About National Express Group: More than 650m journeys a year are made worldwide on our bus, train, light rail and express coach operations. We deliver services in the UK, North America, Spain and Morocco. Our 40,000 employees are committed to improve the quality of life for all through travel.