Passengers set to benefit from Colchester lift upgrades

Work is about to start to replace the passenger lifts at Colchester train station to improve facilities for customers.

The lifts – on platforms 1 & 2 and 3 to 6 – have reached the end of their life and are therefore more likely to break down because of their age. With replacement parts being extremely hard to get hold of, which could result in the lifts being out of use for longer if they did break down, they urgently need to be replaced with brand new, more reliable ones.

Both lifts will be replaced at the same time to complete the work in the quickest possible time, to minimise inconvenience to passengers.

For passengers who cannot use the stairs, Greater Anglia is putting in place a number of measures to enable people with accessibility needs to continue to travel around the station, measures which have been agreed with Greater Anglia’s Accessibility Panel.

These include the installation of a new stair lift to platforms 1 and 2, extra staff available to help people use the stair lifts and change platforms, and a minibus available 24/7 to help people who cannot use the stairs or stair lifts to change platforms.

Greater Anglia’s Asset Management Director, Simone Bailey, said, “We are very sorry for the inconvenience while we renew the lifts at Colchester. This work is essential to maintain the function and reliability of the lifts and will improve passenger facilities at Colchester station.

“We are doing the work now because it is a quieter time for the station – which sees many more people passing through and changing trains during the summer, while travelling to/from the lines that lead to the Essex coast.

“We will do everything we can to ensure people can still make their journeys with as little inconvenience as possible while this work is being carried out and look forward to getting the new lifts open as quickly as possible.”

Separately, in 2020, Greater Anglia secured Access for All funding to build a new passenger lift at Colchester station that will link the platforms and subway to the main booking hall and car park.

This scheme is currently in the early design stages and means that, in the future, Colchester station will become entirely step free, benefiting people with restricted mobility.

The bid was supported by Colchester Borough Council, Essex County Council and the Essex & South Suffolk Community Rail Partnership.

Photo credit: Greater Anglia

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