Department for Transport

More rail stations to be made accessible
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date 31 Jan 2008 10:24
source Department for Transport
type Press release

note DEPARTMENT FOR TRANSPORT News Release (PN010) issued by The Government News Network on 31 January 2008

Rail Minister, Tom Harris, today announced additional funding for upgrades to railway stations across England and Wales, to make rail travel more accessible for disabled and older people and parents with pushchairs.

The Department for Transport's £370m Access for All programme funds the redevelopment of station infrastructure to provide step-free access from the station entrance to platforms, in addition to a range of more accessible facilities, such as improved lighting, hearing induction loops and passenger information screens.

Forty more stations, including Stalybridge, Rotherham, Walthamstow Central, Peterborough, Hemel Hempstead, Canterbury West, Alnmouth and Severn Tunnel Junction, will benefit under Main Scheme funding, paving the way for obstacle-free routes to be installed. A new selection of stations in Scotland will also be announced by DfT in due course. Network Rail will carry out feasibility studies at each station over the next 18 months to determine what changes need to be made, before they launch into the design and construction of the enhanced facilities. The upgrades are planned for completion between 2012 and 2015.

In addition, the Department will contribute £6.5m from the Small Schemes fund towards a £16.7m total investment, match-funded by train companies and local authorities, to upgrade facilities at a further 223 stations during 2008/09. This funding is set to deliver a wide range of infrastructure including more ramps and lifts, blue badge parking spaces, and improved passenger information systems. The Small Schemes programme is forecast to continue every year until 2015.

Rail Minister Tom Harris said:

"More people than ever before are taking the train but for some it can be like facing an obstacle course. That is why we have already invested £18m under Small Schemes funding to update train stations and make catching a train as easy as possible. I'm happy to announce this latest tranche of stations to receive Access for All funding, which will make a significant improvement to people's journeys."

Robin Gisby, Network Rail Director of Operations and Customer Services said:

"These essential new facilities will make station and platform access much easier for existing and new passengers, particularly people with disabilities, those carrying heavy luggage and parents with prams. "Our dedicated project team will conduct feasibility studies to identify the improvements necessary to provide level access. These could include, for example, lifts or ramps to subways and footbridges."

Notes for Editors

1. The forty stations to be awarded under Main Scheme funding are:
Station Name: Managed By:
Alnmouth Northern Rail
Berkhamsted London Midland
Bingley Northern Rail
Brockley Southern
Bromley South Southeastern
Camden Road London Overground
Canterbury West Southeastern
Carlisle Virgin Trains
Chippenham First Great Western
Elstree & Borehamwood First Capital Connect
Gospel Oak London Overground
Hassocks Southern
Hatfield First Capital Connect
Hemel Hempstead London Midland
Henley in Arden London Midland
Hereford ArrivaWales
Hitchin First Capital Connect
Honor Oak Park Southern
Ilford One
Laindon C2C
Leighton Buzzard London Midland
Leominster ArrivaWales
Limehouse C2C
Morpeth Northern Rail
Neath ArrivaWales
New Eltham Southeastern
New Malden SWT
Orrell Park Merseyrail
Peterborough National Express East
Coast
Rotherham Northern Rail
Severn Tunnel Junction ArrivaWales
Shirley Snow Hill London Midland
St Erth First Great Western
Stalybridge First Transpennine
Tilbury Town C2C
Tottenham Hale One
Walthamstow Central One
West Hampstead Thameslink First Capital Connect
Winchester South West Trains
Worcester Park South West Trains






2. Details of the 223 stations to receive Small Schemes funding can be found at: http://www.dft.gov.uk/transportforyou/access/rail/railstations/ssf/ smallschemes08.xls

3. A further announcement in the spring will list the five stations in Scotland to be improved under the Main Scheme funds.

4. Access for All is split into two strands: The Main Scheme which funds the construction of obstacle free, accessible routes to meet modern accessible standards under the accessibility regulations in the Disability Discrimination Act 2005. The Small Schemes fund is around £7m a year and funds locally focused and innovative access solutions at stations. The funding is available to train operators, local authorities and other third parties on a match funded basis. The fund will contribute up to 50% of capital costs up to a maximum of £250,000.

5. The £370 million Access for All programme was launched in March 2006 to fund the redevelopment of train stations across England, Scotland and Wales. To date the programme has approved 140 stations. The majority of funding is targeted at the most heavily used stations, while a proportion has also been allocated to ensure a fair geographical spread of stations across Great Britain.

6. Access for All comes under the DfT's Railways for All strategy, launched in March 2006, which sets out what the rail industry is doing to improve access. It addresses the whole journey approach, as well as the station and vehicle infrastructure. More information is available on the DfT website.

7. Prior to this announcement, 100 stations identified for upgrades had been announced with completion dates for 2009 or 2011. For a full list please look at the Network Rail website.

8. Network Rail's feasibility study is the first stage towards the upgrade and is followed by the outline design, detailed design and finally the construction, testing and commissioning of the stations' facilities.

Public Enquiries: 020 7944 8300
Department for Transport Website: http://www.dft.gov.uk

Railhub Archive ::: 2008-01-31 DfT-001