On Thursday, 15th January, Rail Minister Lord Hendy of Richmond Hill CBE made a statement to parliament about which UK rail stations will benefit from improved accessibility under the Access for All programme.

Since being established in 2006, step-free accessible routes have been provided at over 270 stations under the Access for All programme.

After initial feasibility work, ministers decided work should progress:

• At busy stations where significant numbers of passengers would benefit.
• Projects should be spread throughout Wales, Scotland and different parts of England.
• Work can make use of existing technical development work.
• There is a funding contribution from a third party.

Using these criteria, decisions were made on 50 projects announced by the previous Conservative government. The following eight projects will progress directly to delivery:

• Ash Vale
• Colchester
• Port Sunlight
• Thirsk
• Walton (Merseyside)
• Bellgrove
• Aigburth (already in progress)

Twenty-three projects are progressing to a detailed design stage:

• Battle
• Bodmin Parkway
• Bredbury
• Castle Cary
• Dalston Kingsland
• Dorchester South
• Esher
• Falkirk Grahamston
• Flowery Field
• Gunnersbury
• Hedge End
• High Brooms
• Kew Bridge
• Kidbrooke
• Marden
• Newton for Hyde
• Raynes Park
• Ruabon
• Shotton
• Swanwick
• Ulverston
• Wymondham
• Yeovil Junction

Nineteen projects will not currently progress any further:

• Bushey
• Chinley
• Church and Oswaldtwistle
• Dudley Port
• Dumbarton Central
• Inverurie
• Leagrave
• Ledbury
• Maidstone West
• Neath
• Sileby
• Sleaford
• Small Heath
• South Croydon
• Stamford
• Stroud
• Upminster
• Whitchurch (Shropshire)
• Wivelsfield

Lord Hendy has written to the MP representing each of the 50 stations listed, and has offered to meet those representing the 19 projects that will not progress to explain the decision.

The next spending review may provide funding under the Access for All programme. It could also enable accessibility upgrades at other stations across Britain to be fully or partially funded, although the process and timings for identifying potential future projects have not yet been decided key consideration in future schemes will be the presence of third-party funding.

There is a limit to the funding that the government can make available to fund accessibility upgrades. Officials will work with Network Rail to develop guidance, with examples of best practice for how local funding packages can be achieved.

A significant backlog of projects was inherited from the previous government, and while most of those will be delivered, difficult but necessary decisions have been taken about legacy projects at Beaconsfield, Brondesbury, Cricklewood, Ockenden, and Palmers Green.

The Rail Minister has written to the MP representing each of these stations, offering to meet them to explain why the decisions were made.

Among the stations where lifts were installed last year under the Access for All Scheme were Irlam in Greater Manchester and Leatherhead in Surrey.