14.07.20
£5.8m Crawley station upgrade reaches milestone
As part of the Department for Transport’s Access for All programme, Network Rail have reached a milestone in the Crawley station upgrade, which includes new lifts, ramps and a new footbridge to transform the way with mobility needs use the railway.
The present footbridge at the station has been removed as part of the project which is due to finish in Autumn 2020.
Additionally, tactile surfaces have been installed on both platforms to improve the station experience for visually impaired passengers.
The new bridge will improve accessibility at Crawley station and significantly reduce the time it takes passengers to get from platform 2 to the main station and to Crawley shopping centre.
The Access for All programme aims to provide obstacle free, accessible routes to and between platforms.
More than £300m has been secured to continue with the Access for All Programme over the next five years.
Sussex route director for Network Rail, Shaun King, said: “Step-free access at Crawley will benefit passengers who use the station and we’re really pleased to reach this milestone in the project.
“The new and improved bridge will benefit people in the area for future generations.”
Managing Director for Southern and Gatwick Express, Angie Doll, said: “On behalf of our Crawley passengers, especially those for whom the lack of lifts made the station difficult or impossible to use, we welcome this milestone on the way to making it step-free from street to platform.
“While we still ask people to consider whether they really need to travel, we thank those who do need to use Crawley station for their patience while this major investment is carried out, and we continue to work with Network Rail to minimise the inconvenience.”
Images: Network Rail