Lifts at Formby Train Station due to be complete next Friday

A £1.6million scheme to provide two new passenger lifts at Formby station is nearly complete.

Due for completion next Friday 4th September if all goes to schedule. There is still groundwork to complete and generally only 'cosmetic' touches left to do.

The lifts will give step free access from the booking hall to the platforms, offering modern passenger improvements to the historic station building.

The lifts will be providing better access for the 1.4m passengers who make journeys to and from Formby station each year.

The scheme has been jointly funded by the Department for Transport (DfT) Access for All programmes and by Merseytravel and will be the 9th station in Merseyside to benefit from DfT funding.

Cllr Liam Robinson, Chair of Merseytravel said:

“These improvements can make a real difference to disabled passengers, those with limited mobility and people with children and pushchairs, and go a long way to helping us provide an accessible network for everyone.

“The ‘Access for All programme’ was launched to address issues faced by disabled passengers using railway stations across the country and we are pleased to have been successful in securing this funding to continue progress on the Merseyrail network.”

Transport Minister Baroness Kramer said:

“Making our rail network more accessible is central to our plans to build a stronger economy and a fairer society. The work at Formby will transform journeys for passengers, and I am pleased it is now underway.

“We are investing record amounts in building a world-class railway, and by the end of 2019, we will have spent more than £550million improving accessibility at more than 200 stations around the UK.”

Alan Chaplin, interim managing director of Merseyrail, concluded:

“We are committed to making the customer experience easier, more convenient and more pleasant, and this goes for all our customers. Throughout the network, we already have in place robust procedures for passengers with disabilities, but these new lifts at Formby will be a real boon for those who use this station.”