TRANSPORT bosses are calling for increased funding to help improve public access to more than 50 railway stations in Greater Manchester

At a meeting of the Transport for Greater Manchester (TfGM) capital projects team, it voted unanimously to backed a motion calling for funding to allow step-free access to all Greater Manchester stations over the next decade.

There are currently 96 stations in Greater Manchester, and 42 (44 per cent), are defined as accessible, improving on the national average of around 80 per cent of stations across the country without step-free access to every platform. However, a total of 54 stations in Greater Manchester needing such access improvements have been identified.

Last year Greater Manchester submitted a bid to the Department for Transport’s national Access for All fund – which offered £100 million for accessibility improvements between 2014-19.

However, no stations in Greater Manchester were among the 42 across the country approved for the accessibility funding improvements.

If a station is inaccessible, train operating companies have to provide alternative transport, at no extra cost above the ticket price, to the nearest or most convenient station.

Councillor Andrew Fender, Chair of the TfGM said: “It’s unacceptable in this day and age that over half of Greater Manchester’s train stations are not accessible to all.

“Poor access to the rail network is a nationwide issue – and the duty to address it lies with the rail industry as a whole, but principally the Department for Transport through its Access for All fund.

“So it's very disappointing that our rail stations are falling ever further behind – which makes the DfT’s decision to deny Greater Manchester any Access for All funding at all over the next five years even more perplexing.

“Our resolution gives added impetus to the need for an increased and accelerated level of investment to address accessibility issues at train stations.”