£1M for Manchester Victoria access improvement

Rail Passengers using Manchester Victoria are to benefit from a new lift and other facilities that will help increase access to the station as, Rail Minister Norman Baker has today announced.

Under the Coalition Government’s Access for All scheme, £1 million will be used to provide a new lift to the footbridge, ensuring level access across the station. The money would also fund new handrails and landings on the existing footbridge.

Rail Minister Norman Baker said:

“We want everyone to be able to access public transport and that is why the Government has provided £1 million to make these vital changes which will benefit passengers using this busy station.

“We are determined to promote equality and fairness for all which is why this week, we have identified a further £100 million for the Access for All programme as a whole, to enable important accessibility work to be carried out at railway stations across the country.”

Network Rail route managing director Jo Kaye, said:

“We have a major scheme underway to completely transform the station over the next two years, making it almost unrecognisable to its regular users.

“This cash injection will go a long way towards making the station and its facilities even more accessible than they already are.”

The work at Manchester Victoria is expected to start on site in January 2013 and will take around 16 months to complete. The work will help turn the station into a better transport interchange, which will benefit from increased patronage from the Metrolink extensions currently being constructed.