'It is unacceptable that the station is still not accessible': MP renews call for lift at Whitchurch Railway Station
An MP has renewed her call for the Government to address a lack of step-free access at Whitchurch Station.
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North Shropshire MP Helen Morgan said it is "unacceptable" that the station is not accessible for all.
Currently, passengers with disabilities or mobility issues who are wishing to travel southbound from Whitchurch Railway Station must use 44 steps and a footbridge, or first travel northbound to Wrenbury or Nantwich and change over.
It also means that passengers with mobility issues cannot cross onto the opposite platform after they have disembarked trains from Shrewsbury.
Mrs Morgan has urged the Government to "prove its commitment" to improving public transport after plans for a lift at the station were put on hold.
Network Rail has designed plans for a project to install a lift which she says were due to progress under the Access for All Scheme.
The North Shropshire MP received confirmation in early 2024 from the then Rail Minister Huw Merriman that the project would go ahead.
However, when Labour took power last year, the scheme was paused.
Mrs Morgan has since campaigned for the Government to follow through with plans. She said she has submitted parliamentary questions to the Department of Transport and met with current Rail Minister, Lord Peter Hendy to try and get Whitchurch "the access it deserves".
This week, the MP called for a lift to be installed, saying that money spent on designs and feasibility work was "going to waste" due to the delay.
In response, Assistant Whip Kate Dearden said an announcement would be made in the coming months.
Mrs Morgan said: "The people of Whitchurch need action now.
"It is unacceptable that the station is still not accessible, and it is unacceptable that the Labour Government has not committed to sorting it out.
"The designs are in place, money has been spent, we just need ministers to prove they are serious about improving public transport and approve construction.
"North Shropshire has some of the worst transport links in the country and too many people are isolated and missing out on important opportunities as a result."
