Increasing accessibility on our network
Improving accessibility is not an easy task as Britain’s railway
network has over 2,500 stations, many of which were built in the
Victorian era and were not designed to meet the needs of passengers with
reduced mobility.
We are managing a 10-year programme of station accessibility
enhancements to give greater access to many busy stations that only have
step access. This is supported by a £378m Access for All fund.
Based on levels of use, 13 stations in Scotland and 135 stations in
England and Wales have been chosen to have accessible routes installed
as part of the programme by March 2015. By the end of March 2010, 40 of
these stations were complete.
Easier access
In 2008, we were involved in an initiative to develop raised platform
modules to give easier access to trains at Harrington in Cumbria. The
raised platforms, known as easier access areas, have also been installed
at St Albans Abbey, Aberdovey and Valley stations during 2009/10. There
are proposals to install these platforms at other stations with low
platforms when third party funding becomes available.
Better end-to-end journeys
In 2008, Leeds station was selected as part of a cross-industry
national station travel plan (STP) pilot programme. An STP is a travel
strategy, typically involving support for walking, cycling, public
transport and car sharing.
We have worked closely with Leeds City Council and consulted a wide
range of travel industry stakeholders in the development of this STP. We
started work in August 2009 and will be delivering a range of schemes
aimed at improving station access, providing onward sustainable journey
information and placing Leeds station at the centre of a sustainable
city transport hub.
Promoting cycling
We continue to look for ways to make it easier for passengers to get
to and from our stations using environmentally friendly forms of
transport. In 2009, we completed a Memorandum of Understanding with
Sustrans, the sustainable transport charity, in relation to new cycle
schemes on or connecting with our property.