The Department for Transport (DfT) in the UK has revealed plans to invest £300m through the Access for All funding programme to improve disability access across 73 stations in the country.
Announced by UK Transport Accessibility Minister Nusrat Ghani, the move is aimed at making stations more accessible for passengers with limited mobility.
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With the funding, various upgrades at the stations will be carried out, including the installation of lifts and footbridges over five years.
Several stations will also be upgraded with tactile paving on platform edges and adjustable ticket counters to make railway services more conveniently accessible for disabled passengers.
In addition to people with limited mobility, the improvement works will benefit passengers with heavy luggage, as well as older commuters.
The improvements at the stations form a part of the DfT’s Inclusive Transport Strategy, which was published last year.
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By GlobalDataGhani said: “We want the 13.9 million disabled people in Britain to be empowered to travel independently, which is why I am delighted to announce this roll out of upgrades across the rail network.
“Over the next five years, these newly accessible stations will open up routes across the country, helping us move closer to a transport sector that is truly accessible.”
The 73 stations under the programme were selected on the basis of a wide range of factors, including footfall weighted by disability in the area and proximity to a hospital among others.
Since its first launch in 2006, the Access for All programme has delivered smaller scale upgrades to more than 1,500 stations.
