THE Department for Transport has issued a call for ‘Access for All’ projects at railway stations across the country to come forward – paving the way for a long-awaited upgrade at Liphook station.

As part of the Government’s Inclusive Transport Strategy announced in July, funding of up to £300million has been secured to continue the ‘Access for All’ programme to make stations fully accessible to all passengers, including those with a disability.

Mark Miller, the East Hampshire Community Rail Partnership officer, has nominated the accessibility scheme for Liphook as it has a high passenger flow. Substantial third party funds are now available to show a partnership approach to providing improved facilities. 

Bramshott and Liphook parish councillors are keen to progress proposals with Whitehall, and agreed in October to write to Hampshire County Council requesting the Liphook scheme for disabled access be nominated as a candidate for the funding – proposing that lifts and a new pedestrian staircase across the tracks could be installed similar to those at Haslemere station.

To comply with the Disability Discrimination Act of 1995 and subsequently the Equality Act of 2010 which replaced it, the operator of the railway, South Western Railway, must provide for passengers with disabilities. 

However, trains are not fully accessible to anyone with a disability at Liphook and SWR has to provide accessible transport, when required by disabled passengers, to nearby stations at Haslemere and Liss, which are accessible.

Passengers who need help to use rail services must give up to 24 hours’ notice of their journey which many complain is far from ideal.

In 2007, the late David Murray and Dr John Tough came up with the idea of an access ramp to the southbound platform at Liphook from Midhurst Road. 

They were both members of the parish council at the time. 

Dr Tough told The Herald: “I was a transport consultant and my work has involved planning for pedestrian movement at railway stations. David had been a railway man all his life.  

“For a number of years he was the British Rail area manager responsible for the day-to-day operation of the Portsmouth line including Liphook requiring the practical application of the Railway Design and Works Regulations applicable to railway passenger access facilities in British Rail days.

“Subsequently, he became operations manager for Eurostar. Our proposal was there should be a pedestrian ramp from the Midhurst Road to the southbound platform.

“The ramp would have run north, towards Haslemere, for a short distance from the east end of the Midhurst Road pedestrian bridge. 

“It would then double back under the empty arch of the bridge to reach the southbound platform.

“There would be adequate headroom for this and it would be safely well away from the track.” 

The parish council employed Southampton-based engineering consultants Mott Gifford to investigate the feasibility of the proposal with a view to submitting it to East Hampshire District Council as a candidate for developer funding. 

Dr Tough added: “The study reported the scheme was feasible and was then accepted by the district council as being eligible for S106 developer funding from the Silent Garden housing development off Portsmouth Road, which was ring-fenced for the scheme. 

“The Silent Garden development is now well-advanced and Hampshire County Council holds £250,000, as it is a transport project.

“In addition to the ramp, a pull-in in Midhurst Road would be needed at the top of the ramp to allow set-down and pick-up of disabled passengers, as well as an at-grade access between the station car park and Midhurst Road to avoid the existing flight of steps to the road.”

The proposal was also supported by the Parish Plan, which was completed in March 2014, but has since been shelved due to lack of available funds.

Under the new scheme, the improvements could be implemented.

A Neighbourhood Development Plan is now being drawn up, but has, so far, not included improved access at the station.