Media centre

Monday 7 Mar 2016

Leyland station improvements near completion

Region & Route:

| North West & Central

Network Rail - in partnership with the Department for Transport, South Ribble Borough Council, Lancashire County Council and Northern Rail - is carrying out work to make Leyland station in Lancashire more accessible with step-free access thanks to a £4.5m investment by the government’s Access for All (AfA) scheme.

Step-free access provides accessible routes from entrance to platform and not only benefits disabled people or those with reduced mobility, but also people with children, heavy luggage or shopping.

Over Christmas work took place to build three new passenger lifts, a new footbridge and three new staircases across Leyland station’s platforms. The new footbridge is now open to the public and work is ongoing to bring the lifts into use.

Jon Ratcliffe, senior commercial scheme sponsor at Network Rail, said: “The Access for All project helps make using the railway even easier for millions of people who travel by train every year. It is fantastic to see this project at Leyland station nearing completion.”

The work is being completed as part of the Access for All scheme, a major programme managed by Network Rail and funded by the Department for Transport to improve accessibility at train stations across the UK by installing lifts and ramps to make them step-free and easily accessible to all passengers.

Demolition of the old footbridge is now under way with the scheme due for completion in early summer.

Seema Kennedy, MP for South Ribble, said: “These improvements to Leyland station are excellent news for passengers, providing easier access to platforms for those with reduced mobility and stopping the need to climb steep stairs. Coming on top of the recent improvements in the past couple of years to CCTV, the new ticket office, shelters and the real-time information boards, the recent investment at Leyland has provided the town with a station fit for the 21st century.”

Rail Minister Claire Perry from the Department for Transport said: “We are transforming our railways through record levels of investment, and improving accessibility at Leyland station is an important part of this work. The new footbridge will help make journeys better for customers who are disabled or have limited mobility, as well as making a real difference to those passengers with heavy luggage or buggies.”

Councillor Margaret Smith, leader of South Ribble Borough Council, said: “There’s been a lot of work done at Leyland Station in recent years, but the provision of lifts is the key improvement that we’ve been pushing for all along. It’s wonderful to see a station fit for the 21st Century taking shape, and I’ve been very impressed with the speed and quality of the work, particularly considering the weather they’ve had to contend with.  I enjoyed the chance to look around and see how the work was progressing, and I look forward to everything being up-and-running by the summer.”

Councillor John Fillis, cabinet member for highways and transport, Lancashire County Council, said: "This is a very welcome investment and a vital addition to the work which has taken place in recent years to improve the shelters, seating and customer information to bring Leyland station up to modern standards."

 

Craig Harrop, client and stakeholder manager for Northern Rail said: "Our customers at Leyland station have seen a series of improvements over recent years and will now benefit from better access to all parts of the station; something we know has been an issue. We are delighted to see this work carried out. Investing in Access for All makes a real difference to our customers’ everyday lives, not only offering more opportunities to travel around our network but also making it easier to do so.”