Disabled passengers cut off as lifts keep breaking down at Bristol Parkway train station
Three lifts at the station should provide step-free access onto the platforms, concourse and entrance, but have suffered from “regular problems”
Disabled passengers are being cut off from a major public transport hub as the lifts keep breaking down at Bristol Parkway train station. Three lifts at the station should provide step-free access onto the platforms, concourse and entrance, but have suffered from “regular problems”.
Lifts in large train stations are crucial for people using wheelchairs or pushchairs, elderly people, and people with mobility problems or lots of luggage. On Bristol’s North Fringe in Stoke Gifford, the station provides direct services running to London, Birmingham, Cardiff and Manchester.
However when they break down, passengers cannot reach the platforms without climbing long flights of stairs, restricting access for people who rely on lifts. South Gloucestershire Council’s cabinet faced questions about the recurring problems on Monday, October 5.
David Redgewell, a public transport campaigner who uses a wheelchair, said: “Bristol Parkway again today has no lifts working between the main station and the bus interchange. It’s nigh impossible if you’re coming from Yate, Cam and Dursley, Gloucester or further afield.
“You cannot change buses for Southmead Hospital, even though Southmead Hospital is now the regional centre for the whole of Gloucestershire, Wiltshire, Somerset and part of Dorset. Network Rail keep on saying they’ve repaired these lifts or replaced them, and they still break down.”
Network Rail has been contacted for comment. The lifts were taken out of service for essential maintenance work from January to March this year. Passengers who were unable to use the stairs were advised to go to Temple Meads or Swindon stations instead, and taxis were provided to or from Parkway.
Liberal Democrat Councillor Chris Willmore, cabinet member for planning, regeneration and infrastructure, said: “This is a regular problem and one that frequently we have to chase Network Rail on. It really isn’t acceptable to have a major interchange like that, with a single point of failure meaning suddenly all disabled access is cut off.”
Further down the line, Lawrence Hill train station is getting a new lift. Construction work is due to last until summer next year. This will provide step-free access to Platform 2.