Following the news that a shortage of funds at the Strategic Rail Authority
has resulted in the plan to upgrade 65 midlands railway stations being
slashed to a mere three (they are: Erdington, Four Oaks, and Lichfield
City), Michael Fabricant wrote to the Chairman of the SRA asking why
Lichfield Trent Valley had been taken off the list as disabled people and
the elderly with heavy luggage find it impossible to catch West Coast
Mainline trains to London and the south. They have to climb and descend a
steep footbridge to reach the south-bound platform. No lifts are available.
Michael Fabricant asked specifically how the provisions of the Disability
Discrimination Act would be met.

Michael has now received a reply from Neale Clark of the Strategic Rail
Authority. In his letter, Mr Clarke confirms "The scope of the Modern
Facilities At Stations programmes had to be reduced due to the SRA’s budget
constraints" Mr Neale then added that only 3 out of the original 65
stations will be upgraded. But with regard to disabled people, Mr Neale now
says "Many stations and facilities date from a period when standards were
much lower than today……. Availability of funds will determine the
overall speed of enhancement……. The implementation of such schemes
will be subject to availability of funding and is likely to take place over
an extended period of years. Priorities will have to be established and
these have yet to be determined. It is not possible to predict at this
stage how Lichfield Trent Valley will figure".

Michael Fabricant now says: "This is one of the most complacent and
arrogant replies I have ever received from any Government agency. If
Stephen Byers hadn’t nationalised Railtrack and had been forced to pay off
billions of pounds to Railtrack’s shareholders in compensation, Lichfield
Trent Valley would be upgraded and the needs of disabled people will have
been met. This reply and its open ended failure to commit to any priority
is a slap in the face to disabled people. What does Mr Neale mean by ‘an
extended period of years’? How long must the disabled wait?

"I shall now take this up with the Secretary of State for Transport,
Alistair Darling. I will tell him that Lichfield Trent Valley is the only
railway station in the area on the West Coast Mainline and the only
practical solution for disabled people wishing to travel south by train is
to go via Birmingham New Street involving a change in trains and at least an
extra hour to the journey time. This is wholly unacceptable. I hope that
the Government will have a sense of decency and will intervene to ensure
that Lichfield Trent Valley is upgraded as was originally promised by
Railtrack. It is incredible that in 2003, the Strategic Rail Authority can
have such a cavalier attitude towards its obligations to disabled and
elderly passengers.", Michael adds.

Click on http://www.michael.fabricant.mp.co.uk/news-00320.ihtml for further
details.