Special guests from East Grinstead and across the railway industry joined together on Friday 2 September to celebrate the opening of a new footbridge and lifts, improving accessibility for passengers at the station.
As well as the completion of the £4.5 million project, funded by the Government’s Access for All scheme, a plaque was unveiled in memory of campaigner Eric Mackie MBE, who set up the East Grinstead Access Group and dedicated his life to improving access for people with mobility issues in his home town.
Bluebell Railway locomotive number 65, dating from 1896, made a special appearance to mark the occasion, pulling into platform 2 to mark the first time it had run on main line tracks since 1963.
Katie Frost, Network Rail’s Sussex route director, said: “We always want to do more to improve passenger experience and make our stations easily accessible for everyone. This investment means that more people can benefit from step-free access.
“Accessibility is so important and with the help of the funding from the Department for Transport we’re able to upgrade our stations so that everyone can equally navigate their way round them in a safe and secure way.”
“We’d like to give special thanks to the Bluebell Railway who kindly offered to bring out the magnificent steam train and 1953 vintage bus to the event.”
This initiative is part of the Access for All scheme which is government funded to create an easily accessible route from the station entrance to the platform.
Local resident, William Tregunno suffered from Muscular Dystrophy and the old structure posed extreme difficulties with someone with mobility impairment.
His father, Tony, said: “The new lifts and accessibility improvements at East Grinstead station will literally transform the lives of people with reduced mobility, like our son, who sadly are often be defined by what they cannot do. Our family is beyond happy that the railway station is now fully accessible thanks to the Access for All scheme”.
Image credit: Network Rail
