Residents in one of Suffolk's fastest-growing communities want to turn their redundant railway station buildings into a thriving community hub.
Thurston is on the line from Ipswich to Cambridge and is a few miles outside Bury St Edmunds. It is served by about one train an hour for most of the day.
Its station dates from Victorian times and is Grade II-listed - but the buildings are boarded up and have not been used for decades.
Now a local group Community Action for Thurston Station (CATS) has been formed to try to get it restored and for a new use to be found for the building.
It was built in 1846 and designed in a Jacobean style by Frederick Barnes, who designed many stations in Suffolk including Woodbridge, Bury St Edmunds and Stowmarket.
Liz McGregor, from CATS, said ideally they would like to see the top of the building reopened as a waiting room for the platform - the station was built on a slight embankment - but had been warned that would probably not be possible.
She said: "The station is very important for us. Thurston has a population of nearly 4,000 but is expected to grow to 7,000 over the next few years and having a station is a key selling point for us.
"The building hasn't been used for years but the station is right in the heart of Thurston and is very near a very large school - it is very important to us and it would be good to see some use made of it."
The top storey of Thurston Station faces on to the platform of the station. (Image: Liz McGregor)
About one train an hour stops at Thurston on the route from Ipswich to Cambridge and Peterborough - and the village has become popular with commuters heading to jobs in Cambridge where the station is very close to the main business district.
In the year before the first Covid lockdown, more than 70,000 passengers used the station - that figure could double as the population of Thurston rises.
Ms McGregor said talks with Greater Anglia about finding a tenant had been amicable - but it was clear the rail company would expect any tenant to carry out work needed to make it useable.
She said: "The fabric of the building is okay. I think the roof is fine - but they don't have the money to do any work there."
Her group has been in touch with Mid Suffolk Council and charities including the YMCA to ask about the possibility of taking on the building - but the cost of restoration remains an issue.
They have also been in touch with Network Rail about replacing the pedestrian crossing over the tracks which is currently the only way of getting from one platform to the other - with several trains an hour using the line this is potentially dangerous.
A Greater Anglia spokesperson said: “We have met with members of CATS and understand their desire for improvements at Thurston station. We have carried out some of the actions they’ve requested and are always happy to work with them further.
“We are marketing the station for potential community use – on the basis that the tenant would have to cover the costs to bring the empty station building into an acceptable working condition. We will continue our search to find a suitable occupant, taking on board the desires of the local community and in the meantime we are carrying out maintenance work to prevent it from deteriorating.”
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules here