Railway station staff celebrate new £9m lifts

c2c managing director Rob Mullen (second from right), and colleagues from the rail company and Network Rail, hosted Thurrock Labour MP Jen Craft at an unveiling on Monday

A £9m project to make a railway station fully accessible for all passengers has been completed.

Train operator c2c and Network Rail have overseen the installation of new lifts for both platforms at Grays railway station in Essex.

c2c said the new lifts could carry up to 16 passengers and were the only ones on the UK rail network that could be used in emergencies, such as during a power failure.

In a statement, Rail Minister Lord Peter Hendy said it was "brilliant" to see the installation.

c2c said it invested a further £300,000 to upgrade the station's power supply, refurbish the subway and on the evacuation features of the lifts.

Rob Mullen, managing director of c2c, added: "The completion of step-free access at Grays station is the result of dedication, hard work and innovative engineering."