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Monday 8 Sep 2014

New lifts open at Hitchin railway station

Region & Route:

| Eastern: Anglia

| Eastern

New lifts are providing step free access for rail passengers at Hitchin station.

The lifts, which were officially opened by Network Rail and First Capital Connect, give step-free access to the southbound platform. The £1.7m project at Hitchin station, funded by the Department for Transport’s Access for All scheme, has delivered two new lifts connecting to the subway that runs between the two platforms.

The project has opened up this part of the railway network for all potential users including people with restricted mobility, heavy luggage and passengers with pushchairs – especially with lifts at Letchworth soon to open and the recently refurbished ones at Stevenage.

Phil Verster, Network Rail Route Managing Director, said: “Improving access at stations is an important part of building a bigger and better railway. The improvements we are making to a number of stations in Hertfordshire will increase the number of easy-to-use stations in this region, providing passengers with even more fully accessible journey options. As the railway is used by more and more passengers, we will continue to invest and make improvements whenever and wherever possible.”

First Capital Connect Customer Service Director, Keith Jipps, said: “It is fantastic that a major station like Hitchin which has over 2.5m passengers travel through it every year now offers passengers step-free access to both platforms. This is a great time for our passengers in Hertfordshire with lifts now open at Hatfield, refurbished at Stevenage and near to completion at Letchworth.”