Berkshire railway station to offer disabled access for the first time
Tilehurst railway station was first opened in 1882
A RESTRICTIVE train station in Reading that has long been the subject of petitions to get disabled access will finally see a revamp after a five-year campaign.
Tilehurst train station was opened in 1882 and sits on the Great Western Railway with services running to Reading and London Paddington in the east and Didcot Parkway in the west.
Neighbours have been campaigning for lifts to be provided at the station since 2018.
Now, it has finally been announced that a planning application for the lifts has been submitted to Reading Borough Council. Once it is approved, work can begin on building the lifts and to help offer disabled access across the platforms.
Kentwood Cllr Mark Keeping said:
“Those with disabilities, parents with young children and people with walking difficulties have all been excluded from using this station, meaning they have to go three and a half miles to get to the main Reading station and the town centre.
“Use of public transport should be encouraged and making it accessible improves that, so it’s a win win.
“A waiting room has been built with disabled access but people have not been able to use it.
“If a wheelchair user were able to get off there they would be unable to leave the platform because there are no lifts.
“So that room can be brought into proper use once the project is complete.”
A petition by Reading Labour calling for lifts to be installed at Tilehurst station created in 2018 received 1,298 signatures, with 1,082 people signing an e-petition on change.org and 216 people signing a physical petition.
The push to get lifts at Tilehurst station has been a bipartisan effort, with Sir Alok Sharma, the Conservative MP for Reading West also campaigning for accessible lifts.
CGIs for the lifts were revealed by Network Rail after £4 million of funding from the Department of Transport was approved in March.
The application has been submitted for prior approval.