Construction work on a long-awaited new station building in Essex has begun. Wickford station in Essex, on Greater Anglia’s (GA) London Victoria-Southend Victoria line, has had a temporary building since the original was demolished in 2021. This was to allow the extension of the bay platform for five-car Class 720 EMUs on the Southminster branch. GA had cited COVID and wider funding challenges for the delay to replace the original building. Francois said: “It has taken several years of lobbying for funding to get this project over the line.