The introduction of accessible waiting spaces and signage at the railway station in Ledbury, Herefordshire would give me and my peers within the disabled community some of our independence back.
My entire lifetime has seen the market town of Ledbury have an inaccessible railway station to those who either use a wheelchair, mobility scooter or have issues with their mobility.
In the first few weeks of the year I travelled to the railway station with my best friend, where we saw for ourselves the issues facing our community on the platforms in Ledbury.
Those of you reading this will know that the station is only currently accessible to our community from the westbound platform heading in the direction of Hereford, with the eastbound platform a no go zone for us at present.
However our community could regain some independence when attempting to visit the market town with the introduction of waiting spaces and signage at the station, something that there has never been there.
As we know the DFT (Department for Transport) announced in early January that Ledbury would no longer be receiving Access for All funding from the department to make much needed accessibility improvements to the station despite a previous promise of it (the funding).
In a letter sent by me to the Secretary of State for Transport, Heidi Alexander MP and the Minister for Rail and HS2, Lord Hendy of Richmond Hill CBE, I said that ” those with disabilities or mobility issues travelling by train to Ledbury either have to with the support of the signaller at the station, cross the tracks at the end of the platforms to exit the station on the car park side or travel further up the line to Colwall and change trains to return to Ledbury on the platform side which is adjacent to the station exit”.
I also urged both ministers at the department to ” consider reversing there decision to cancel the funding for accessibility improvements at the railway station in Ledbury, Herefordshire because they are currently making it even more difficult for our (the disabled) community to visit the area by rail”.
My position on this matter hasn’t changed and I will continue to use my voice to be heard on this issue until Heidi Alexander MP and Lord Hendy reverse the decision and grant the station much needed funds to make the improvements necessary to ensure that the railway station is step free for all.
On Friday (30th January 2026) London northwestern Railway confirmed that Tile Hill railway station near Coventry now has accessible waiting spaces and signage on the platforms.
Read more on that here: https://just-being-cp.co.uk/2026/01/30/i-am-about-to-cry-as-waiting-spaces-and-signage-have-just-been-installed-at-tile-hill-railway-station-near-coventry/
This leads me to wonder if and how long it will be before the accessible platform at Ledbury station in Herefordshire gets waiting spaces and signage.
It only needs to be one platform to make a real difference to our community within society!!!.
Do you travel by rail on a regular basis and require assistance to board or disembark services, your assisted travel can be booked up to 2 hours before departure:
By Phone: 0800 024 8998 or by using Next Generation Text – 18001 0800 024 8998.
Online: https://booking.passengerassistance.com.
Using the App: https://apps.apple.com/gb/app/passenger-assistance/id1542190496
However you do have a legal right to just turn up at a railway station and travel without booking any assistance prior to departure.
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As always I would like to place on record my appreciation and thanks to the incredible team at West Midlands Railway who have gone both above and beyond in the last couple of years to make the rail network that they manage accessible to all, it hasn’t gone unnoticed.
A thank you must also go to each and everyone of you, my loyal readers and social media followers who continually take the time out of there busy schedules to read my latest posts, again it doesn’t go unnoticed and is very much appreciated.
Cam
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