SMART

[from the Huddersfield Daily Examiner, 14th May 2014]

Colne Valley MP Jason McCartney has added his voice to the renewed campaign to get disabled access at a Huddersfield rail station.

Mr McCartney, who is a member of parliament’s Transport Select Committee, said that access for all ‘should be a given’ at every station, especially considering plans to electrify the Transpennine network over the next few years.

His comments come after it was revealed that no plans have been made to improve Marsden station, more than three years since campaigners took their fight to have ramps installed to parliament.

Network Rail, who own the station, said that this was due to the failure of a recent bid to obtain a grant through the government’s ‘access for all’ programme, which last week offered support to 42 stations around the country to make them disabled friendly.

Mr McCartney said that he had taken up the issue with transport secretary Patrick McLoughlin and would be ‘banging the drum’ for Marsden in the coming months.

He said:

“Disabled access should be a given and it’s really important that everyone can use the stations, especially as electrification of train lines is rolled out, which will increase the amount of people using the line.

“I spoke with Patrick face to face about Marsden station and made him aware of the situation.

“However, there are issues with other stations in the area, such as Honley, which also need addressing.

“I will be banging the drum for Marsden and will write to ask them how they are going to make use of the extra funds that are being made available by the government to improve access”

He said that through the Transport Select Committee, there was an inquiry into disabled access on public transport, as many buses also suffer from a lack of access due to not having low floors.

Network Rail, who leases it to its manager, Northern Rail, said that work to improve access would only go ahead if both companies, along with local passenger transport access provider Metro bid worked together to apply again for funding in the future.

A spokesperson for Network Rail said:

“We worked with partners at Northern Rail and other stakeholders to submit a bid for Marsden to receive funding under the Department for Transport’s Access for All Scheme which would have funded improvements to access at the station.

“Unfortunately the recent bid was not successful and there are no plans to enhance the access at Marsden station at this time.

“We will continue to work with partners to make sure the best possible arrangements are in place for less-mobile passengers.”

http://www.examiner.co.uk/news/west-yorkshire-news/colne-valley-mp-jason-mccartney-7113988

[from the Huddersfield Daily Examiner, 28th April 2014]

Residents and councillors have poured scorn on the lack of action to make crucial improvements to a Colne Valley train station more than two years since they took their campaign to parliament.

Carer Linda Carter and Liberal Democrat councillors David Ridgway and Nicola Turner said that it was ‘abysmal’ that Marsden Station is still without full disabled access or safer steps despite a petition which started in 2009.

This was following the nasty fall of a woman who suffered a fractured shoulder and muscle injuries while on her way to catch a train.

Both councillors will hope that a meeting with Network Rail and Clr Donna Bellamy today about the electrification of the line will put pressure on the station’s owner, Northern Rail, to make the improvements, which Clr Ridgway believes should include the total rebuilding of the station.

Trains going to Huddersfield and back from Manchester are still out of bounds to those in wheelchairs or with prams while concerns remain high about the ‘dangerous’ steps.

Linda, 55, who is a full time carer to her wheelchair bound husband Kevin, 64, said the lack of access had a significant impact on their lives.

“We had to stop using the train station when my husband got spondylosis,” she said. “The steps are dangerous for anyone and those with prams or wheelchairs can’t use the train if they are travelling to Huddersfield or from Manchester because of them.

“We have to get the bus instead but this still causes problems because of the lack of those with low level access and then the ride is quite bumpy which causes my husband a lot of pain.

“It means we can’t go out of Marsden that often. I just wish they’d get it sorted but we’ve just lost all faith.”

In 2011 Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Transport Norman Baker said Marsden was then roughly half way down the list for access upgrading at approximately 1,200 out of 2,500 stations.

Clr Ridgway said:

“The situation is absolutely abysmal and has been for many years. The quality of the station is similar to a countryside halt rather than one that sits in between two big conurbations of Manchester and Leeds. The lack of action is pathetic and I want it to be rebuilt.”

A Northern Rail spokeswoman said:

“At the moment, we have no plans to change access arrangements at Marsden station. This work would require a significant level of investment and third party partnership, not just for Marsden but for other stations along the line. We have carried out a great deal of improvements to access in partnership with Network Rail across our 463 stations throughout our franchise. If one of our stations is inaccessible, we’ll provide alternative transport to the nearest or most convenient station to enable customers to continue on their journey.”