Hampshire County Council, in partnership with South Western Railway and Network Rail, has started work to provide step-free access to the station. The improvements have been funded with a £238,000 grant from the Department for Transport's Access for All fund with additional contributions from South Western Railway and Hampshire County Council bringing the total spend to £353,000. The work is expected to take four weeks to complete.
Councillor Nick Adams-King, Hampshire County Council’s Cabinet Lead for Universal Services, said: “I’m pleased that we have secured the necessary funding to create an obstacle free route for people using Totton Station. This is an important travel link for residents and people visiting the town and these improvements will make train travel a more attractive and easier option for those who are mobility restricted.”
The scheme will deliver:
• A new footway connecting the southern (westbound) platform to Totton High Street (adjacent to the Day Nursery)
• A crossing point with tactile paving on High Street. Tactile paving provides raised surface patterns on the pavement to assist visually impaired pedestrians to detect paving slabs underfoot or by using a cane.
• New street lighting along the new path
Phil Dominey, Senior Regional Development Manager at South Western Railway, said: "From speaking to our customers and stakeholders we understand the big difference that step-free access at this station will mean for the local community. We're delighted to be working with Hampshire County Council to make it a reality."
Matt Pocock, Network Rail’s Wessex Route Director, said: “We’re delighted to be working closely with Hampshire County Council and South Western Railway to improve the accessibility of Totton station. We want as many people as possible to leave their cars at home and use the railway as their preferred method of travelling and we’re committed to making the railway as accessible as possible to help ensure everyone can benefit from this green and sustainable form of travel. We have a large number of schemes in progress to make our stations step free and easy to use and we look forward to working with our partners on this project to upgrade Totton station.”
For more information visit the scheme web page: https://www.hants.gov.uk/transport/transportschemes/totton-station-accessibility-improvements