Media centre

Friday 8 Nov 2024

£4.6m accessibility improvements unveiled at Plumstead station

Region & Route:

Southern

| Southern: Kent

Representatives from Network Rail and Southeastern were joined by Abena Oppong-Asare MP and invited guests to officially mark the opening of two new lifts at Plumstead station today (Friday 8 November) following £4.6million accessibility upgrades

The completed scheme now makes the station much easier to use for customers who are wheelchair users, or have limited mobility or are travelling with luggage, bicycles and pushchairs.

Work at the station on the Woolwich line, which is served by Southeastern and Thameslink trains, involved the installation of two new lifts, providing passengers with step free access from the road to the platforms, as well as the installation of new CCTV cameras for added security.

The station remained open throughout the work, during which time there was no impact on passenger access to the station. Work to install the lifts and new entrances at road level began in May 2023 and was completed earlier this year.

The package of work also included minor modification to the station forecourt and the relocation of three new Oyster card readers, as well as new signage and wayfinding.

David Davidson, Network Rail’s Kent Route Director, said: “We’re delighted to add Plumstead to the growing list of step free stations, as part of the ‘Access for All’ scheme.

“It’s critical we make the railway as accessible as possible as we continue to welcome back and encourage more people to use the railway as their main choice of sustainable travel. Improving the ease and accessibility of our stations plays an important role in supporting this ambition.

“I’d like to thank passengers and the nearby local community for their patience while we completed these important upgrades and I look forward to welcoming them to this greatly improved and accessible station.”

Steve White, Southeastern’s Managing Director, said: “We are working more closely than ever before with Network Rail as part of our shared commitment to making rail travel more accessible and removing the barriers that some people face when travelling by train. It is a key part of our commitment to build a better, more reliable and sustainable railway.

“Schemes like this support the strong increase we are seeing in the number of people with accessibility needs that are travelling with us, and it’s really encouraging to see the majority of accessible travel requests are now ‘turn up and go’.

“We recognise that there is much more we need to do as an industry. That is why our tender for new trains includes a requirement for manufacturers to show how they could maximise unassisted boarding at stations across our Metro network.

“Next year we will be evaluating the response from these bidders and completing further Access for All station improvements at Herne Bay and Shortlands as we continue our journey towards a more accessible railway.”

Abena Oppong-Asare, MP for Erith and Thamesmead, said: “It is wonderful to attend Plumstead Station, to see the investments made to ensure that this station is truly accessible for all.

“The installation of two new 16-capacity lifts will make it more efficient and accessible to more people. These developments are vital considering the high use of this station.

“This Government is committed to renovating Britain’s railways. Great British Railways will deliver a unified system that focuses on reliable, affordable, high-quality, services.

“The 'Access for All' project is a brilliant example of investing in new transport infrastructure to improve our railways. I thank Network Rail, Southeastern and the Department for Transport for their committed work to installing these developments and improving access for local residents.”