Network Rail has announced that it is to make Kent's Herne Bay station accessible without steps.
It will begin the upgrade work on 20 November and expects to finish it in winter 2024.
Once the £6m programme of work is complete, access will be much easier for passengers with mobility and/or visual impairments, and for people travelling with pushchairs, bicycles or heavy luggage.
Herne Bay station is on the Chatham Main Line, 62 miles from London Victoria.
Network Rail will install two lifts, each of which can carry sixteen people, and a new footbridge with staircases which will span between the station's platforms.
Also included in the work is refreshing the station's lighting and adding CCTV, which Network Rail hopes will make passengers feel safer and more comfortable when travelling, particularly at night.
The Department for Transport's (DfT) ‘Access for All' scheme is funding these improvements, which follow recent work to make the station accessible to people with stomas.
Hodan Hassan, Network Rail's commercial scheme sponsor, said: “It's really great to see the investment being made to make stations fully accessible in the Kent region and we welcome the continued investment from the DfT and continue to work closely with local councils to provide the best experience for all rail users.
“We'd like to reassure passengers and local residents that most of the work will take place over weekdays during daytime hours and will not affect the train services during the week.”
Jo Pettman, Southeastern's station manager for Herne Bay, commented: “We're always wanting to do more for our customers, as part of our drive towards a better, more reliable and more sustainable railway.
“We'll see the accessibility of Herne Bay station transformed by Network Rail over the next year, with the new lifts and footbridge set to make a huge difference to everyone who uses the station, whether that's people using pushchairs or wheelchairs, bikes and those with heavy luggage. Our customers will also welcome the planned security improvements that will ensure Herne Bay station remains a safe place to travel to and from.”
At last. This is excellent news . Good to see Herne Bay gets a look in re this development. Much needed. The underpass steps prone to flooding. Just would be good if the ticket office had set hours in mornings or at least a notice saying when someone was there. As Whitstable does.
It’s the wrong way round!Ridiculous having to walk along uncovered platforms to reach it. It should go up from the platform canopies not further along the platform. How can such a major mistake in planning this after all this time have been made? Back to the drawing board!
What about Whitstable station need new footbridge. Poor open wet slippery surfacing footbridge, no lifts. Shame for Whitstable popular tourist
I have lived in Herne Bay since 2015 and have heard empty promises about Herne Bay railway station being made accessible to disabled people ever since. Even our ‘illustrious’ octogenarian MP confirmed, many times, that this would happen. Why should I believe this will actually happen before I die?