Passengers in South Croydon will have to wait longer for step-free access at their local station after the Government confirmed it will not fund planned improvements in the short term.
The upgrades, part of the Access for All (AfA) programme, would have created an “obstacle-free, step-free route from the station entrance to the platforms”, but the busy Brighton Mainline station will now have to wait.
South Croydon, which serves thousands of people each day, was one of 19 stations told it would not receive upgrades under the AfA programme. Ministers said they would only commit to projects they consider affordable and offering value for money, following feasibility work on 50 stations announced by the previous government in May 2024.
The Government said it prioritised projects at busy stations, aimed to ensure a geographic spread across England, Scotland and Wales, and considered pre-existing technical work and third-party funding contributions. South Croydon met some of these criteria, but officials said the lack of prior technical development and external funding meant the station would not receive upgrades at this stage.
The continued lack of step-free access has raised concerns about accessibility for blind and partially sighted travellers. Erik Matthies, RNIB’s Policy Lead for Travel and Transport, described the decision as “disappointing”.
Mr Matthies told the Local Democracy Reporting Service (LDRS): “Many stations lack basic accessibility features that make travel accessible. Steps and stairs increase trip hazards and injury risk for blind and partially sighted people, even to the point of preventing them from using a station altogether.
“This causes stress. Often staff are not available at train stations, which adds to the problem. The Government must reverse their decision and implement the changes they promised to all stations lagging behind in modern accessibility.”
In a letter to Croydon South MP Chris Philp, Rail Minister Lord Peter Hendy noted that a future round of AfA funding, potentially included in the next Spending Review, could provide full or partial upgrades at South Croydon. He also encouraged exploring local funding options, such as Section 106 contributions or City Regions Sustainable Transport Settlements, to strengthen future applications.
Mr Philp told the LDRS that he thought the Labour Government had “let South Croydon down” by not backing the project. He added: “These works would have improved the station a great deal.”
Credit: Sunil060902
Since 2006, the AfA programme has delivered step-free routes at more than 270 stations across Great Britain. While South Croydon passengers were told to wait for accessibility upgrades, several other stations received positive news from the Department for Transport last week.
The following London stations were told their accessibility projects were moving to the “detailed design phase”:
- Dalston Kingsland – Hackney
- Gunnersbury – Hounslow / Ealing
- Kew Bridge – Brentford
- Kidbrooke – Greenwich
- Raynes Park – Merton
