A new station exit-and-entrance to ease the morning and evening rush-hour crush at Fenchurch Street has been opened as part of a £4 million improvement.

The exit into Cooper’s Row, near Tower Hill, is aimed at easing peak-time congestion with 46,000 commuters a day from Essex and east London going through the rail terminal.

“This will make Fenchurch Street less cramped and crowded,” c2c trains boss Julian Drury said. “We hope passengers already notice the difference.”

A second staircase is also planned from the mezzanine level to both the new exit and the Tower Hill exit to ease the flow at the busiest station on the c2c network which has 230,000 passengers a week passing through at peak times.