“Following a long and hard fought campaign, the Department for Transport has finally agreed to provide disabled access to all platforms at Lichfield Trent Valley station” says Michael Fabricant.

In a letter, Baroness Kramer, Minister at the Department for Transport, says: I am pleased to confirm that Lichfield Trent Valley was one of the 42 stations we added to the programme” (Access for All). She goes on to say “Each of the selected stations will receive an accessible route into the station and to and between each platform. Many of these projects require significant amounts of work on site and before that in terms of design and other preparatory works. …… Network Rail are currently estimating that the project will be completed in the first half of 2017”.

Michael Fabricant adds “This is good news, but is long overdue. My job now is to ensure that this project does not slip. Access between platforms at Lichfield Trent Valley, which is a major interchange between the cross-city line and west coast main line, is difficult for the elderly and anyone carrying heavy bags and is impossible for the disabled. I will keep up the pressure.

“I have been told by Network Rail that lifts will need to be constructed on each of the two ground level west coast main line platforms and will involve considerable engineering work.”

Photo shows Michael pointing at the stairs that currently need to be climbed at each platform at Lichfield Trent Valley station. See also second half of this story: http://www.michael.fabricant.mp.co.uk/news-001128.ihtml