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Friday 25 Feb 2022

Orpington MP Gareth Bacon, Network Rail and Southeastern celebrate completion of £4m of passenger benefits at St Mary Cray station in south London

Region & Route:

Southern

| Southern: Kent

Orpington’s MP Gareth Bacon and a host of senior railway people celebrated the official opening of a major £4 million upgrade that means St Mary Cray station in south London will have step-free access to its platforms for the first time.

Two new easy-access lifts have been installed, along with new handrails, plus new access ramps, bicycle shelters and two new blue badge parking bays.

The ticket office has also been upgraded and a retail unit relocated to the old taxi office to create more space for the new lift shaft, plus two new benches and perch seating by the lifts are also being installed.

Gareth Bacon, MP for Orpington, said: “These significant improvements to St Mary Cray Station will be gratefully received by local residents.

“Owing to a £4 million investment by the Government’s Access for All scheme, my constituents will now benefit from an upgraded suite of accessibility and safety features.

“Passengers with mobility issues, or even when simply travelling with their children, should never have to feel disadvantaged when making their journeys. This is why the modernised amenities inside and outside the station are so important.

“I am grateful to the Network Rail team for their efforts in delivering this project, and to my predecessor, Lord Johnson, who campaigned on this scheme. I look forward to continuing to work with stakeholders and welcoming the expected completion of Petts Wood Station in 2024.”

    From left to right, Julian Moosai, Southeastern general manager, Gareth Bacon MP, Gareth White, operations manager at BAM Nuttall, and Antonia Buckland, Network Rail's route delivery director

The large lifts each have the capacity for 16 people and are the ‘through’ type with exits at each end to make using them as easy as possible.

Outside the station, all the staircases have been upgraded with new access ramps for the Furzehill Square side of the station.

Fiona Taylor, Network Rail’s route director for Kent, said: “The government’s ‘Access for All’ programme has enabled significant investment for our stations in Kent and south London and the wider Southern region, which will make travelling much easier for passengers with mobility issues, older people and parents with young children.

“I’d like to thank our passengers and people who live by the railway for their patience and understanding while these critical works were completed, and also our colleagues and contractors at BAM Nuttall for doing such a fantastic job.”

Julian Moosai, Southeastern’s General Manager for the North area, added: “At Southeastern we’re committed to providing a safe and comfortable journey for everyone. A key part of that is how easily people can get around our stations and on or off the trains.

“This work at St Mary Cray means that another one of our stations will have step-free access. It does make a real difference to disabled people and those with heavy luggage or prams.”