Media centre

Thursday 26 Mar 2009

ACCESS FOR ALL AT BRACKNELL STATION

Region & Route:

Southern: Wessex

| Southern

Passengers using Bracknell station now have easier access with a new footbridge and two lifts. The provision of step-free access between the station entrance and both platforms is a big step in making the station more accessible for everyone.

The £2.9m project, which also includes new CCTV cameras and telephone links in the lifts, has been managed and delivered by Network Rail through funding from the Department for Transport’s Access for All scheme.

Richard O’Brien, Network Rail’s Wessex route director, said: “The new facilities at Bracknell station will make access easier for all passengers, including those with reduced mobility or carrying heavy luggage and people with pushchairs. The railway provides the community with a key transport link into London, so it is important to provide facilities which make rail use easier, safer and more accessible for everyone. We worked closely with South West Trains and other stakeholders throughout the process to maintain station access during the extensive construction works.”

Transport Minister Andrew Adonis said: "These new facilities at Bracknell station will make it easier and safer for every rail passenger to travel through this busy corner of the South East.

"We want to make rail travel available to everybody, but if we want to encourage more people to travel by train we need to make it more convenient. The Department's Railways for All initiative has allowed us to continue improving the experience of all sections of the travelling public."

Bracknell station, which is the start or end of 1.9m journeys every year, will also benefit from £200,000 of further investment for accessibility improvements to the ticket hall and station entrance. This will be delivered under a joint initiative by South West Trains and Bracknell Forest Borough Council, which is supported with funding from the Department for Transport’s Access for All Small Scheme. Improvements include three new disabled parking bays, automatic entrance doors, an adjustable height ticket counter and induction loops to replace existing help points.

Paul Bentley, South West Trains’ access and integration manager, added: “The installation of the footbridge and lifts is fantastic news for the thousands of passengers who use Bracknell station every year. We are also pleased to be working with Bracknell Forest Council to deliver the additional facilities which will make all aspects of train travel from the station much easier for those with reduced mobility.“