FirstGroup : South Western Railway looks forward to potential £50m+ investment in accessibility at stations

• Eight South Western Railway stations included in latest government announcement of Access for All funding
• South Western Railway achieves the highest number of stations to be included of any operator
• Feasibility studies to be carried out for lifts at all eight stations
• Successful studies will release £50-60m in investment

South Western Railway (SWR) has the highest number of stations of any train operator in the latest government Access for All (AfA) funding announcement.

A recent government announcement listed 50 additional stations selected for initial feasibility work which, if successful, would be taken forward as part of the AfA programme.

Eight SWR stations - Ash Vale, Dorchester South, Esher, Hedge End, Kew Bridge, Raynes Park, Swanwick and Yeovil Junction - have been included in the list and will now go forward to have feasibility studies conducted.

Should these studies be successful, between £50m and £60m in AfA funding will be released to enable the schemes to proceed to construction.

The studies will consider how accessibility can be improved at these stations, most typically through the delivery of new lifts and in some cases bridges. If completed, the projects would significantly boost accessibility and make it easier for all customers to travel on the SWR network.

Michael Adlington, South Western Railway's Senior Accessibility and Inclusion Manager said:

"We're absolutely delighted to hear that our nominations for these eight stations have been successful.

"We work incredibly hard in collaboration with local stakeholders to submit these nominations, and so we are really pleased that SWR has secured the most successful bids of any train operator, unlocking huge investments in the communities we serve.

"'We really appreciate the commitments made by partners through match funding contributions which will have been a key factor in securing this DfT investment'.

"Should the feasibility studies achieve positive outcomes, customers who use these stations will benefit from transformative accessibility upgrades in the years to come."