Media centre

Wednesday 22 Nov 2017

Footbridge opening at Westerton is step towards improved accessibility

Region & Route:

Scotland’s Railway: Scotland

The new station footbridge at Westerton will open on Friday November 24 as part of wider work to improve accessibility at the station.

The project is delivering ‘step-free’ movement over the railway as part of the Access for All scheme – which is designed to improve access within stations for people with impaired mobility or those travelling with luggage, children or cycles.

The team have been on site since June on an eight month programme to build the new structure which includes lifts and stairs. It replaces the existing footbridge which will be removed after the new bridge is open. Work is scheduled to complete by February 2018 when the new lifts have been commissioned. 

Step free access is being provided from the station entrance over the railway and onto the platforms to maintain the link between the two lineside communities.

Billy McKay, Network Rail programme manager, said “Opening the new bridge to pedestrians is an important milestone in delivering accessibility at the station. It enables us to remove the old bridge and changes the focus towards the finishing works on the platforms and car park around the new structure as well as on commissioning the new lifts.

“The bridge delivers modern standards of access and is a real positive for those going to or from Westerton as it improves the travelling experience for passengers.

“This new bridge will help ensure that everyone in the community has the opportunity to easily access services at Westerton station and thus enable even more people to travel by train.”

The Access for All programme is delivered by Network Rail on behalf of Transport Scotland, which also selects the stations to benefit from the enhancements.