Work to install a brand-new Changing Places toilet at Manchester Airport Station has now been completed as part of a £200k upgrade, delivered by TransPennine Express (TPE).
The new toilet is a completely inclusive space, which will help those with additional mobility needs who cannot use standard accessible toilets, travel with confidence when using the railway.
Changing places toilets are larger accessible toilets which feature equipment including hoists, privacy screens, adult-sized changing benches, and space for carers.
The new addition is the very first of its kind to be introduced by the train company and is now officially open for customers to use.
Alongside the Changing Places toilet, TPE has introduced brand new refurbished male and female toilets, to further upgrade the station.
Kathryn O’Brien, Customer Experience Director at TransPennine Express said, “I am delighted with these fantastic improvements and the fact they are fully inclusive for all our customers. The Changing Places toilet will provide a safe and comfortable changing space for those that need it”.
Andy Saunders, Surface Access Strategy Manager at Manchester Airport Group said “This new toilet is a remarkable transformation and is a great boost to the airport station’s attractiveness. The provision of more of these across the network will surely help in bringing passengers back to rail.”
Karen Hoe OBE, Changing Places Manager at Muscular Dystrophy UK, which co-chairs the Changing Places Consortium, said: “Muscular Dystrophy UK is delighted that a Changing Places toilet has been installed at Manchester Airport Station.
This is a much-needed step in the right direction to tackling the discrimination that so many people living with a severe disability face on a daily basis. There are 250,000 people in the UK who rely on Changing Places toilets to be able to use the bathroom both safely and with dignity. This is a basic human right, and the new Changing Places toilet at Manchester Airport Station will make travelling so much easier for people who rely on them.”
The new facilities are located on Platform 3 of Manchester Airport station.
The project has been delivered by TMT Group and managed by Vextrix, with funding provided from the TPE’s Customer and Communities Improvement Fund which supports projects that will benefit communities across the North of England and into Scotland.
Work has also begun to install a new Changing Places facility at Dewsbury Station.
