The petition of residents of the village of Ruabon in the constituency of Clwyd South,
Declares that Ruabon railway station is currently inaccessible to a number of potential users as the only method of using platform 2 is by crossing a footbridge which is difficult for passengers with mobility issues or luggage to carry, and impossible for wheelchair users.
The petitioners therefore request that the House of Commons call on the Government to speed up plans to improve access to the Ruabon railway station either by replacing the existing bridge with one that allows easy access for all users, or to add a wheelchair accessible entrance to platform 2.
And the petitioners remain, etc.—[Presented by Andrew Jones, Official Report, 05 December 2017; Vol. 632, c. 1003.]
[P002088]
Observations the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Transport (Paul Maynard):
We are committed to improving station accessibility and have therefore continued with the Access for All programme, first launched in 2006, which installs accessible routes at selected stations.
Ruabon has never been nominated for the programme, but we will be making further funding available for station accessibility in the next Rail Control Period (2019-24) and will be announcing further details as soon as possible.
For Ruabon to be considered for inclusion in the programme it would need strong support from the industry and the Welsh Assembly Government. It would also benefit from an element of third party funding to help weight the business case.
In the meantime if any passenger is unable to use the station the operator will provide alternative transport, such as an accessible taxi to Chirk or Wrexham, both of which have been made accessible under Access for All. This is at no additional cost to the passenger.