'New station lifts mean I can finally explore'

Amanda pictured looking into the camera and smiling. She's wearing a blue winter coat, a blue and grey patterned scarf, and a fluffy hat. Behind her is a red brick wall, with a sign to her right reading 'lift to platform 2.' Over her right shoulder, just out of focus are the silver metal lift doors.

Amanda Say, who uses an electric wheelchair, said she is looking forward to being able to explore Ludlow more easily

Ellen Knight
BBC Radio Shropshire

A woman who uses an electric wheelchair has said she is excited to be able to explore after lifts were installed at a rail station.

Amanda Say attended the opening of Ludlow train station's new lifts and said it meant she could now actually use the station as there had been no step-free access onto one of the platforms.

The Shropshire station, managed by Transport for Wales, now has two lifts either side of the footbridge.

The lifts took a year to install, from planning to completion, and cost an estimated £3m, funded by the Department for Transport through their Access for All programme.

A tarmac path reaches uphill into the distance - it's cracked, mossy, and has trees and bushes encroaching onto it. It's separated from the station by black iron-wrought fencing. To the left of the image you can see part of a grey and red carriage from a Transport for Wales train. The sky is grey and overcast.

The original step-free access was uphill, narrow, and covered in brambles

Ms Say, from Cwmbran in South Wales, is on the Transport for Wales Access and Inclusion Panel, a voluntary board of people with a range of needs who offer advice on how best to improve facilities.

"I haven't been able to [use Ludlow station] - but now I am able to, Ludlow will be seeing a lot more of me, I'll be able to explore this area which is quite exciting really," she said.

Because she was unable to access Ludlow's second platform , Ms Say had to travel to Shrewsbury and back to Ludlow in order to get to the other side of the tracks.

"It's really, really good to be able to do a straight-forward journey that other people take for granted," she said.

Adrian looking into the camera and smiling. He's wearing a black waterproof coat - with raindrops on the shoulders as it's clearly bad weather - and a blue and white striped shirt underneath. He's stood on one of Ludlow station's platforms, with the track stretching away into the distance behind him. The sky is grey and overcast.

Adrian Carrington, TfW's head of station infrastructure, said Ludlow station is important as it connects southern Shropshire and Wales with towns and cities like Manchester.

"This station here has 56 [train] services a day, and just under a quarter of a million footfall per year," he said.

Mr Anderson pictured smiling and looking into the camera. He's wearing a brown tweed blazer, and a navy jumper and trousers. He's also using crutches, with the grey plastic handles just visible. Behind him is Ludlow station platforms, separated by the tracks. The sky is grey and overcast.

Stuart Anderson said he has been using crutches "on and off" for years and public transport was not easy

South Shropshire's Conservative MP Stuart Anderson also attended the opening - and after an operation on his foot was using crutches.

He said he has been using crutches "on and off" for years, but using public transport was "not an easy thing."

"I think accessibility is part of people's everyday life - if you don't consider it, you're basically saying 'you cannot travel this way'."

Rachel pictured smiling and looking into the camera. She's wearing a bright blue blazer and a white, black, and blue patterned shirt. She's stood on one of the platforms at Ludlow station, with houses visible just beyond the station boundaries. The sky is grey and overcast.

Ms Heath said the new lifts are "a step in the right direction"

Rachel Heath, operations director for Network Rail Wales and Borders said the organisation has lots of plans to improve accessibility along its Marches line, which runs between Wales and England.

"We haven't always been able to provide that service for everybody, so this investment is really important," Ms Heath said.

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