Bid made to improve disabled access to Hampden Park Railway Station

Eastbourne MP Caroline Ansell is supporting the nomination for the station to the Access for All funding.

Mrs Ansell is now asking the public to support the bid after she championed the bid with the Department for Transport.

Currently disabled people, those with mobility issues and even parents with prams have to leave the station and use the busy level crossing to get to the other platform.

East Sussex College and Eastbourne Access Group have already endorsed the bid.

In a letter to the department, Mrs Ansell said, “In 2019 this characterful, busy station traditionally serves an astonishing 600,000 passengers with 40,000 a year utilising Hampden Park as a key interchange for services along the coast.

“Incredibly more passengers interchange here than at Eastbourne.

“Although it has step-free access, passengers with more limited mobility, including families with buggies or visually impaired, when changing platforms are required to leave the station and traverse the level crossing.

“Not only is there the capacity for being caught with the barriers down, wheelchairs, mobility vehicles and pushchairs especially face difficulties with the track. It is also a single manned station so out-of-hours support is not available.

“Southern Railway’s own assessments indicate that going from each mobility point can be around 400 metres. Clearly there is a need, an opportunity, and an imperative for change here.”

Mrs Ansell also believes improved access would mean an opportunity to grow passenger numbers and boost employment locally.

She said, “I fully endorse Hampden Park’s bid to this fund and hope to see the transformation it could bring.”

Support the bid here

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