Deal will receive a six-figure sum of Government funding after I pressed for train station upgrades.
The Department for Transport (DfT) has announced that Deal station will be awarded £105,000 for accessibility improvements under the Access for All scheme.
The funds will progress plans for a new permanent access point on one side of the station, via the adjacent road, for passengers who use the station to catch trains towards Sandwich and Ramsgate.
I met senior managers at Southeastern and Network Rail at a special parliamentary summit recently.
We worked so hard to secure High Speed trains for our area. It is just as important for everyone to feel safe and comfortable when they use them and that stations are more accessible.
That’s why when I met with managers at the rail firms I pressed for maintenance and improvement works to be carried out as quickly as possible.
I also want our trains to be as affordable as possible – and I have been taking this up with ministers at the Department for Transport.
Rail firms say many stations in the UK network were built in the Victorian era when there was little consideration of accessibility issues.
DfT has a dedicated fund, called ‘Access For All’, which is used to upgrade these types of stations with lifts and other accessibility improvements.
The decision about which schemes receive funding is made by the DfT, with support from Network Rail and train operating companies.