Passengers at Highbridge railway station could finally benefit from ‘step-free access’ following a commitment by Somerset Council.
Highbridge Railway Station’s two platforms are currently linked by a footbridge, with disabled or less mobile passengers having to use the Walrow bridge in Market Street to get from one side to the other.
This has led to local calls for accessibility improvements, as reported here by Burnham-On-Sea.com.
Somerset Council has now made a public, in-principle commitment to delivering step-free access at the station as part of its local transport plan.
Disabled passengers needing to move from the northbound platform to the southbound side currently have to move through the station car park up onto Market Street, use the narrow pavement on the existing road bridge, and then move through the housing estate, as pictured below.
The council’s local transport plan makes a wide range of in-principle commitments to improving Somerset’s transport network – including the completion of the Steam Coast Trail active travel route, providing new connections between Glastonbury and Wells, and enhancing the Stop Line Way between Burnham-On-Sea and Highbridge.
The route from the railway station to the town centre links up with the Stop Line Way, which runs from the Burnham coastal path into Apex Park and onto Tyler Way near the Highbridge Wharf housing estate.
The council has not set aside any funding for the station project within its capital programme, which was approved on March 5th, however the plan commits to exploring multiple different funding sources to implement the changes.
A spokesman said: “Town-wide approaches to improving road safety would help create a safer, more attractive environment for all users.”
Bids are assessed on a range of criteria, including the annual passenger numbers, the priorities of the service operator, the availability of third party funding (e.g. from the council and housing developers), geographical location and the support of the local MP, notes the local democracy reporting service.
The former Sedgemoor District Council put forward proposals to improve the entrance to the station as part of a £19.3m bid to the previous government’s levelling up fund. The bid was ultimately rejected by the Government, with ministers instead choosing to fund a new health and social care academy in Bridgwater town centre.
