Next step in campaign for accessible platforms at Upminster station.

Local train operator, C2C, have now submitted a bid to the Department for Transport’s Access for All scheme after Hornchurch and Upminster MP, Julia Lopez, revived her campaign for step-free access to Platform 6 at Upminster Station. Mrs Lopez has supported the bid with a formal letter to Transport Secretary, Anne Marie Trevelyan, as part of her efforts to make public transport in Hornchurch and Upminster as accessible as possible. 

Upminster Station has step-free access to C2C services and District Line services, however access to Platform 6 for the London Overground Upminster-Romford line is via stairs. This platform is the only platform within Upminster Station not to have step-free access and is also the only station on the service not to have step-free access. The London Overground Upminster-Romford service acts as a vital link for C2C services between Upminster and Shoeburyness to the Elizabeth Line, travelling through central London to Heathrow Airport. Making that platform accessible would be especially valuable for those with suitcases or older people, parents with buggies and disabled people who want to work, shop or socialise in Romford. Mrs Lopez and her team collected hundreds of signatures outside the station from local people to create a petition to push for improvements. Unfortunately, however, their last bid for Access for All funds to support the scheme in November 2018 was not successful. The MP recommenced her petition in summer 2019 after a further round of funding was announced but a cost cap meant the scheme did not qualify. 

When Mrs Lopez met incoming C2C Chief Executive, Rob Mullen, in July she asked for his support for a fresh application, and C2C have now confirmed that the Platform 6 scheme is among their Access for All priority bids. Mrs Lopez and Mr Mullen also discussed in their summer meeting C2C’s works to replace the 1930s footbridge at Upminster Station. Mrs Lopez has this week received photographs of the lift being taken out for repair, alongside confirmation from C2C that they aim to reinstall the bridge by the end of October, alongside new handrails and better lighting.  Mrs Lopez said, ‘I hope our latest bid to make Upminster Station completely accessible is successful as we managed to attract a lot of local support for the scheme, particularly from families struggling with pushchairs and older people with mobility issues. Now that Elizabeth line services are up and running, it becomes even more important to make the link between Upminster and Romford step-free. I appreciate C2C putting a bid in and I hope the Transport Secretary looks favourably on our application’.