'Inaccessible rail station makes me feel terrible'

"It puts you in a position of frustration and makes you feel terrible on the inside."

That is how wheelchair user Scott Stonebridge described being unable to board the train at his nearest railway station in Saltash, Cornwall, due to the large gap between the train and the platform.

Mr Stonebridge - who has Motor Neurone Disease (MND) and travels to London to participate in scientific studies into his condition - was among those backing calls for work to improve the station.

Network Rail, which operates the railway network, said it was working with local authorities to source funding to make the London-bound platform at Saltash "compliant with current standards for platform heights".

Mr Stonebridge said being unable to board a train at his local station was "exasperating".

He said the gap between the platform and train was too wide and steep for the use of a ramp.

"It puts you in a position of frustration and makes you feel terrible on the inside," he said.

"It makes you feel having a disability puts you in a box and you don't feel like anybody else."

Due to the lack of wheelchair access, Great Western Railway (GWR), which manages the station, is obliged to pay for a taxi to take Mr Stonebridge to Plymouth where he is able to board a train.

However, Mr Stonebridge said it added time and made his journey to London more exhausting.

Saltash Town Council said it would work with Network Rail to seek funding for improvements at the railway station.

It said many people were unable to board trains on Platform 2 because of the access problem.

Saltash mayor Julia Peggs said the wide gap also affected able-bodied people.

"It's anybody with children in pushchairs; elderly people who can't push themselves on there," she said.

"I'm quite a short person and I find real difficulty getting on the train myself and I can't do it if I have a suitcase.

"It's not just people that have a disability."

Network Rail has published a report concluding the existing stepping distance of the Plymouth-bound platform at Saltash railway station was "non-compliant with current standards for platform heights".

It suggested two options to improve the stepping distance and said it "would welcome discussions with local authorities and other bodies to source funding for the improvements".

A spokesperson said: "We regularly meet with stakeholders to listen to their concerns and discuss what can be done to improve stations.

"Accessibility is a key priority and we want the railway to be welcoming for everyone.

"Most of the railway was designed and built in the Victorian era, but today we have a better understanding of how we can provide access and inclusion for all passengers."

GWR said it would work with Saltash residents to make a case for improvements.

Matt Barnes, head of strategic service development at the firm, said: "We are very happy to meet with them, to work with Cornwall Council and Network Rail to explore what is possible and to identify together how some funding might be secured to start that initial development work."

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