Why did Luton station wait 18 years for lifts?

For nearly two decades, passengers at a town’s central railway station have been repeatedly promised lifts – but never arrive.

Names of Luton Passengers The 10 worst stations in England in 2009Flights of stairs are still encountered to reach most platforms.

Gold medal-winning Paralympian and wheelchair user Baroness Tenny Gray Thompson said the 18-year wait was “ridiculous” and “completely unacceptable”.

Network Rail acknowledged “how frustrating the delay is” and apologised.

It plans to begin construction in the spring, but it was not known how long the project would take or how much it would cost.

So what does waiting mean for disabled passengers?

Last year, 3.6 million passengers used Luton – the UK’s 144th busiest station.

Karen James, 53, is unlikely to join them in the future.

In May, she moved away from the Bedfordshire town where she had lived all her life, partly because of a persistent lack of lifts.

A wheelchair user since 2018, she has osteoarthritis in her back, and fibromyalgia which causes chronic fatigue, brain fog and dizziness.

She previously used the station to visit her son and 20-month-old grandson in Welwyn, in neighboring Hertfordshire.

But four of his five platforms are only accessible by stairs, which he finds excruciating and takes “forever” to climb.

“My husband would have to be wheelchair-bound,” she added.

Going back up was worse than coming down.

“It took me 20 minutes or so to get up the stairs and I was exhausted,” she said.

“When you have a disability, you should have access to everything you need, like transportation.”

Luton commuters were first promised better access in 2006 when Labor ministers launched one. Access to all fundsCommitting £370m over 10 years.

Luton was among the first 42 stations lined up for some of the investment, which the Department for Transport (DfT) said would “typically” include the “provision of lifts or ramps”.

Three years later, then Transport Secretary Lord Edwins pledged part of the £50m improvement fund.

In 2014, the Conservative government announced Luton will share a further £100m from Access for All, after Rail Secretary Baroness Cramer said the money would “make a real difference to the lives of disabled passengers”.

The plans “will be completed by 2019”, but work at Luton and several other stations has been postponed.

Another one Announcement It said in 2019 that the project would be restarted, with work “to be completed by the end of March 2024”.

For much of this period, there was a desire to completely rebuild the station, partly financed by access funding, but it never got off the ground.

More recently, station owner Network Rail said “detailed design work” had revealed that the platform extensions – installed in 2010 – were not strong enough to support the weight of the planned lifts. .

Fortification work is scheduled to begin next spring.

Mary McCormick, 64, has dystonia, which causes muscle spasms in her upper limbs and neck, and said the condition was “discriminating”.

“Policymakers have a duty to provide equality in public spaces,” he said.

She would like to use the trains more during the day and for hospital appointments, but said that using the steps would “beat” her.

Poor access left him and other disabled people “isolated … it only exacerbates social exclusion”.

Baroness Gray Thompson, Jo Got off the train in London. In the summer when help didn’t arrive after 20 minutes, said there was “massive frustration” at failing to bring aging stations up to date.

He said Luton’s 18-year wait seemed like a “ridiculous amount of time”.

“When people see the station getting access to all the funding, there’s an assumption that there’s going to be a huge turnaround,” he said.

“If the funding is there and the desire is there, things like this just have to happen.

“Some serious questions need to be asked about why this is so complicated to do.”

In a statement, the independent London Travel Watch watchdog said enforcement had been “painfully slow” and “extremely frustrating” for wheelchair users as well as passengers with buggies or heavy luggage.

“This is one of them. [our] Key priorities are to ensure this program of work is implemented optimally across the network, to ensure all stations are more accessible,” he said.

“We understand that work at Luton will begin next spring, and look forward to the work being completed without further delay.”

Rachel Hopkins, Labor MP for Luton South and South Bedfordshire, said she had heard “various reasons” for the delay.

“It was pushed from one budget period to the next, then it was Covid, then it was all these designs, then it was ‘we’re trying to start, but we’ve got some problems,'” He said.

It said Network Rail was “not managing the project properly”.

“For them to keep delaying — I don’t think that’s acceptable.”

Station operator Govia Thameslink said it wanted to install lifts “as soon as possible” and was supporting Network Rail.

Station staff will assist passengers and arrange alternative transport to Luton Airport Parkway for those unable to manage the stairs, it added.

Since the launch of Access for All, more than 250 stations have been made accessible without steps.

Network Rail’s East Midlands route principal program sponsor Gavin Crook said: “We are committed to delivering access improvements to Luton station and regret that this is taking longer than we would like.”

A DfT spokesman said: “Everyone should be able to travel with ease and confidence, which is why this Government is committed to improving the accessibility of our railways.

“While previous plans to improve Luton station were delayed due to design challenges at the time, Network Rail is now responsible for the works, which are progressing.”