THE Department for Transport (DfT) has failed to include Alton railway station in a £370m 'Access for All' programme. Campaigners have been fighting for years to get improved facilities at Alton for rail passengers unable to use the bridge to reach platforms two and three. Having glimpsed 'light at the end of the tunnel' with the announcement this year of Government money to provide 'step-free access from the station entrance to platforms', Alton's inability to meet the 'need' criteria was considered "beyond belief". As home to trailblazing Treloar School and College, whose students use the rail service regularly as a key part of their independence training, Alton was expecting to be 'top of the list' of South West Trains (SWT) stations eligible for this funding. Instead, it has had to give way to stations like West Byfleet. The decision to bypass Alton's bid for 'obstacle- free' access has come as a blow, not just to Treloar campaigners, but to the Alton Line Users' Association (ALUA) and to SWT station staff who try their best to make the service as accessible as possible for disabled and elderly passengers. Station master Christine Porteous told ALUA's recent AGM that she had been working with Treloar to campaign for improved access. "We don't want to have to wait until 2015, we need improvements now," said Mrs Porteous who is determined not to let the matter rest. "We have just got to shout louder," she said. While station staff have the authority to accompany people over the line or to order taxis for anyone unable to board the train or disembark at Alton, horror stories abound over access problems. Head of Occupational Therapy at Treloar, Selena Geddes said one mother had to carry her teenage son across the bridge on her back to catch a train from platform two. It had not been possible to use the line crossing and the boy had to get to Great Ormond Street for an urgent hospital appointment. Disabled travellers can use the line crossing, accompanied by station staff, but only if train schedules and length allow – 12 carriage trains will block the crossing. But many Treloar students are too terrified to use the crossing for fear of being trapped on line if their chair breaks down or gets stuck. It was a fear demonstrated by Treloar College students Amanda Ferguson, 19, and Amber Wise, 18, on a recent expedition to Woking. Having arrived at Alton in time to board the 11.14am they found that it was due at platform two. There was no-one authorised to help them cross the line, and the girls had to wait half an hour for the next train. Having negotiated the ticket counter, which is impossible to reach from a wheelchair, the students and their carers had the option of waiting on a draughty station or in a cold waiting room with no disabled toilet facilities. Although frightened of using the rail crossing, the girls did grit their teeth for the camera, but with almost disastrous consequences when the front wheels of Amber's chair got wedged in a gap between rail and sleeper. While on this occasion the students were accompanied by carers, the object of the exercise is to encourage independence. "With access like this how can they be?" asked Mrs Geddes. She has written to the DfT expressing "total amazement" over the decision to ignore Alton, pointing out that there are more than 120 Treloar College students who use the station on an almost daily basis, for short shopping trips or more complex journeys, to places like London and Southampton. In addition, parents use the trains to take children to appointments, and students are encouraged to use the train to travel between college and home. They are advised to pre-book, to check train accessibility, and to arrive in time so as to obtain any assistance they may need. According to Christine Porteous, if forewarned SWT staff are able to assist at the station and will ring ahead to the point of destination so that help is available at the other end of the journey. Having missed out previously, campaigners had hoped that Alton would benefit from this latest tranche of 'Access for All' schemes funding – a total of £16.7m match funding by DfT, train companies and local authorities. The money is to be used to upgrade 223 stations during 2008/09 by delivering a wide range of infrastructure such as ramps, lifts and blue badge parking spaces. While the programme is expected to continue every year until 2015, with plans in the pipeline to expand facilities at Treloar, campaigners are anxious that Alton should not be pushed to the bottom of the pile. According to a spokesperson for the DfT, the criteria for 'Access for All' is based on "footfall and incidents of disability" and, as such, Alton will have "every opportunity in the future" to benefit from small schemes funding. She added: "The DfT is aware of the difficulties faced by passengers using platform two at Alton and is keeping the situation under review" but, she stressed, under the Disability Discrimination Act it is down to the train operator (SWT) to ensure provision is made for disabled travellers.
