Nathaniel Yates, a long-time advocate for accessible railway stations, has achieved a major victory with the Greater Manchester Combined Authority (GMCA) allocating £34m to improve accessibility at 10 stations. The funding will be used to install lifts, ramps, hearing loops, and other amenities to make travel easier for people with disabilities. Yates's campaign, which began after he fell down stairs at a station in 2013, has inspired the Transport for Greater Manchester's (TfGM) Access for All (AfA) Programme.
Nathaniel Yates has been advocating for more accessible railway stations for years – and now he’s got his wish.
Nathaniel has cerebral palsy which affects the left side of his body, and in 2013 he fell down the stairs at Reddish North station and injured his knee attempting to catch his train in a rush. “Part of it was emotional because I'd been working on it for a while, part of it was excitement, part of it was just delight that everybody's going to have these stations at some point.
By this spring, lifts will be installed at Daisy Hill and Irlam, and step-free access schemes at Swinton, Hindley, Bryn and Reddish North are all to be implemented for next year. Currently, fewer than half of stepped stations are accessible according to TfGM, however, the new developments include a rolling program which will result in 63 per cent of Greater Manchester becoming fully accessible by March 2028.
The campaigner added: “I really try to include the community in my campaign. I've had meetings with Dame Sarah Storey and Baroness Grey-Thompson as well so Paralympians are even interested.
ACCESSIBILITY RAILWAYS DISABILITY CAMPAIGNING TRANSPORTATION
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