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Monday 26 Aug 2019

Kilwinning bridges accessibility gap

Region & Route:

Scotland’s Railway: Scotland

Kilwinning station’s new, fully-accessible footbridge and lifts are now open for passengers.

Following a £4m investment, access to the North Ayrshire station has been transformed with a three-span footbridge with lifts and stairs giving step-free access to all platforms.

The new bridge was officially opened on Friday (August 23) by Cunninghame South MSP Ruth Maguire, Network Rail Scotland Route Director Liam Sumpter and children from Abbey Primary School.

Delivered by Story Scotland on behalf of Network Rail, work at the station also includes upgrades to the CCTV system, train notice boards and lighting as well as enhancements to the station frontage, waiting areas and car park.

Ruth Maguire MSP said: “It’s fantastic to see Kilwinning station become fully accessible. The new footbridge and lifts will make a tremendous difference to the local community and open up new opportunities for rail travel.

“This investment will not only benefit those with limited mobility but also older residents, parents with young children and those with heavy luggage or cycles.”

Liam Sumpter, Network Rail Scotland Route Director, said: “We are delighted to have completed this investment in Kilwinning station and the new bridge will make the railway easily accessible to even more people in the local community.

“Scotland’s Railway is working closely with Transport Scotland to deliver access improvements at as many stations as possible so we can open up the network and create more travel choices for people across the country.”

The project has been funded by the Access for All scheme, which is an ongoing investment in Scotland’s Railway designed to improve access within stations for people with impaired mobility.

Since its launch in 2006, Access for All has funded improvements at 25 Scottish stations, with a further six – Johnstone, Croy, Anniesland, Port Glasgow, Uddingston and Dumfries – due to be upgraded over the next five years.

Access for All is funded by the Department of Transport, with Transport Scotland taking responsibility for managing the fund in Scotland and selecting stations for improvements.