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Access for All programme to continue and 42 extra stations receive funding.
Improving access to Great Britain’s railway stations is a key priority for this government and so, despite the deficit, we have confirmed that the Access for All programme will continue. The existing programme will deliver an accessible, step free route at more than 150 key stations by March 2015 and has already delivered smaller scale accessibility improvements at more than 1,100 stations through the Small Schemes fund.
I am therefore pleased to announce the stations which will benefit from the additional £100 million we have made available to extend the Access for All programme from 2015 until 2019. The selected stations will, subject to a feasible design being possible, receive an accessible route into the station and to and between each platform.
The stations due to benefit are:
Alfreton Barry Town Barnes Battersea Park Blackhorse Road Blairhill Cathays Chatham Cheltenham Spa Elgin Garforth Godalming Grays Hamilton Central Hebden Bridge Hither Green Kidsgrove Leyland Lichfield Trent Valley Liverpool Central Llanelli Luton Manningtree Market Harborough Northallerton Peckham Rye Penrith (North Lakes) Petts Wood Queen’s Park Seven Sisters Southend East St Mary Cray Streatham Theale Tottenham Hale Trefforest Virginia Water Walton-on-Thames Warwick West Hampstead Weston-Super-Mare Whitton All work at the stations is due to be completed by the end of Rail Control Period 5 in 2019.
These measures will make a real difference to people’s lives, not only opening up access to leisure and employment for disabled rail passengers but making it easier for those with heavy luggage or children in buggies to use the network.
