More Greater Manchester railway stations will become step-free in the next three years than in the last decade.
Greater Manchester Combined Authority signed off £34m for improvements to railway stations earlier this week, ahead of the planned eight new lines being brought into the bee network by 2028.
Fewer than half of Greater Manchester’s railway stations are currently accessible for people with mobility issues or who require wheelchairs.
Andy Burnham said: “At the moment too many train stations in Greater Manchester are inaccessible, but we are moving at pace to tackle this alongside industry partners under phase two of the Bee Network – and our plans to improve rail services and stations across the city-region.
“Disability or mobility issues should never be a barrier to travel, and in the next three years we will deliver step-free access at ten stations.”
Work to install lifts at Daisy Hill and Irlam is due to finish this spring, while step-free access schemes at Swinton, Hindley, Bryn and Reddish North are all scheduled for delivery next year.
Accessibility improvements have also been approved at Levenshulme, and detailed designs for step-free access are to be done for Davenport, Hall i’th Wood, Moorside and Woodsmoor, so that when more funding is secure work can begin immediately.
Accessibility improvements at Flowery Field, Newton for Hyde and Bredbury are set for completion in 2027, with Levenshulme to follow in 2028.
Only a handful of stations were made accessible in the previous decade, and these improvements mean 63% of Greater Manchester will be fully accessible by 2028.
The changes are a collective effort by GMCA, Transport for Greater Manchester, Government and local campaigners.
Councillor Tracey Rawlins – the Bee networks first ever Disability Advocate – said: “It is vital that people with disabilities can make seamless journeys across all modes and do not experience barriers to travel because the infrastructure is not there to support them.
“Together with our government-funded Access for All programme and work by Network Rail and other partners, we are making real progress towards our ambition for every rail station in the city region to be step-free by 2030.”
Accessibility campaigner Nathaniel Yates, a key proponent of the plans, said: “I’m absolutely delighted Levenshulme is getting this money. It’s the second most popular station in Greater Manchester and this is a big step in the right direction.
“I have been campaigning on it for a while now, and to see money being made available for this – and for developing schemes at four other stations – is big progress.”
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Feature Image Kurt Adkins via Wikimedia (Creative Commons License)
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