MP in final push for Whitchurch station as lift designs nearly complete
North Shropshire MP Helen Morgan has called on the Department for Transport to give the final sign-off on plans to make Whitchurch Station accessible.
The MP has been pushing for step-free access at the station since her election in 2021, repeatedly calling on Government Ministers to take action and urging progress from Network Rail.
Designs for lifts to be installed are due to be completed in the coming weeks and Network Rail has confirmed that the scheme has been nominated as ‘high priority’ to be delivered in its next wave of works between April 2024 and March 2029.
However, the lifts can only be installed if the Department for Transport approves Whitchurch’s nomination under the Access for All scheme. Despite previously telling Helen that a decision would be made last year, the Government is still yet to give the green light to the scheme.
Helen Morgan has now written to Transport Minister Huw Merriman, stressing the importance of the project and asking that the Minister grants the necessary funding as soon as possible.
Passengers with disabilities or mobility issues are currently blocked from boarding trains heading towards Shrewsbury at Whitchurch because Platform 1 can only be accessed via 44 steps and a footbridge.
Helen Morgan, MP for North Shropshire, said:
“Whitchurch Station needs lifts installing so that everyone can catch a train regardless of their mobility. Designs have finally been drawn up and now it’s down to the Government to give the green light and get work moving.
“If the Minister does the right thing we could see work taking place within months. With so many passengers in the Whitchurch area excluded from using the station, this simply has to be a top priority.
“The decision is already overdue so I’ve once again written to the Transport Minister making it clear why this project must be made a priority.”
