Posted on the 10th October 2025 in PHTM News

MAIDENHEAD STATION TAXI DRIVERS DEMAND SOLUTION TO FORECOURT CONGESTION

Taxi drivers at Maidenhead Railway station are urging local authorities to find a better solution for congestion and other issues plaguing the station's forecourt since its re-design and reopening in 2021.

The lack of adequate pick-up and drop-off facilities has been a central point of criticism.

Hackney carriage drivers report "traffic congestion there during peak times in the evenings." 

Driver Mohammed Naeem Sabir said the issue has "always been a struggle for everyone," particularly during "Five, six, seven o’clock – the peak periods – you get a lot of people coming, a lot of people picking up and dropping off, and parking everywhere." 

Mr. Sabir noted that before the redesign, there were 10 taxi spaces, but this has been reduced to four before 5pm and six after. He stressed: "We feel that it should be best for everyone, and we don’t feel that the station at the moment is suitable for everyone’s needs and it needs to improve."

Fellow taxi driver Hamza Ali said the issue needs to be addressed on a "priority basis," highlighting that: "There are no parking spaces for individuals," aside from disabled bays. He suggested, "I think that should be something they can do – maybe they can make another drop-off point, pick-up point for the private passengers."

Maidenhead MP Josh Reynolds called the re-design "awful" and said there is "not enough space." He wants to see a "larger programme" of improvements, stating: "I would like to see the forecourt improved, so we’ve got that pick-up and drop-off parking, so parking works for hire drivers and for taxis." 

An Improvement Board is being set up, with the first meeting hoped for early next year.

A Network Rail spokesperson acknowledged the concerns, noting the forecourt "was previously redesigned and built by the council," and added: "While we are not currently funded for further enhancements at the station, we welcome engagement from any third parties who may be interested in exploring opportunities to improve the forecourt area."

Great Western Railway (GWR) echoed this, saying they "recognise that there are some improvements that can be made to ensure the space fully delivers for all users," and continue to work with partners "to identify feasible options for funding improvement, such as how the current operation could work better by addressing inconsiderate parking."


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