Media centre

Thursday 17 Sep 2020

Changes for passengers as major accessibility upgrade at Mills Hill station continues

Region & Route:

North West & Central

| North West & Central: North West

Passengers are being advised about changes to journeys at Mills Hill station as its multi-million-pound accessibility upgrade enters its next phase.

A new ramp and lift are under construction to provide step-free access to platforms at the Greater Manchester station for the very first time.

Passengers are being asked to allow more time for their journeys from next week as work on the Manchester-bound platform’s new ramp gets underway.

From Monday 21 September, access to both station platforms will be moved to the Rochdale-bound side where a new staircase has been built.

Work to complete the station upgrade has taken longer than expected due to unforeseen engineering issues and the impact of the Coronavirus pandemic.

Simon Smith, sponsor for Network Rail, said: “We are sorry to passengers that our accessibility upgrade at Mills Hill station to provide step-free access to both platforms is taking longer than hoped. Unforeseen drainage complications on Oldham Road and the impact of the coronavirus lockdown have caused the delay.

“We thank station users for their patience while we work as fast as we can with the highways team at Oldham Council to complete all of the work so the new lift can be operational by the end of this year.”

As part of the Government’s ‘Access for All’ scheme, the new lift will be brought into use on the Rochdale-bound side of the station by Christmas 2020.

This will help customers with reduced mobility, families with prams and those carrying heavy luggage.

Chris Jackson, regional director at Northern, said: “We are absolutely committed to making the Northern network as accessible and as welcoming as possible for all our customers.

“The improvements being made at Mills Hill will, when complete, give customers with special mobility needs much-improved access to the rail network and, in-turn, so many fantastic destinations across the north of England.

“I’d like to thank our customers for their ongoing patience whilst the work is being carried out and ask them to bear with us a little longer while Network Rail completes this vitally important upgrade.”

The accessibility improvements also form part of the wider Great North Rail Project – a rail industry effort to deliver better stations, track and trains across the North.