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Thursday 18 Nov 2004

£450,000 ACCESS RAMP UNVEILED AT HACKNEY WICK

Region & Route:

| Eastern: Anglia

| Eastern

| Southern

A new pedestrian ramp, providing direct access to the westbound platform of Hackney Wick station, has been officially opened today by Councillor Guy Nicholson of the London Borough of Hackney.  Councillor Nicholson said: “The new pedestrian ramp at Hackney Wick station shows us all how partnership working can achieve the transport improvements that we sorely need in Hackney.  Hackney Wick station and the North London Line are crucial transport links for the people living and working in this area, and this new ramp will improve platform access by providing a much needed step-free access point.”  The £450,000 ramp, which was jointly funded and developed by Network Rail and the London Borough of Hackney, will allow passengers safe and direct access to the station from Hepscott Road, in addition to the existing ramp from Wallis Road.  In peak times on average one person per minute uses the westbound platform which the new ramp serves. Network Rail General Manager, Patrick Hallgate, said: “I am delighted to be here today to see this ramp opened to passengers.  Improvements to station facilities are an important part of our continued programme to re-build the railway.  This project is a good example of the close working partnership between Network Rail, LB Hackney and train operator Silverlink.” As part of the opening ceremony, Network Rail officially handed over the duty of care for the ramp to Silverlink, who will continue to maintain it as part of their station lease.  Silverlink Retail Manager, Malcolm Langton, said: “This is an important day for the local area as Hackney Wick joins the list of stations that have step-free access.  We are very grateful to Network Rail and the London Borough of Hackney for making these improvements possible.” Photographs of the opening ceremony are available on request.