Libby Bateman writes to Chancellor to provide funding to make Cumbria’s train stations accessible for all

Ahead of the Budget later this month, the Liberal Democrat candidate to be the Mayor of Cumbria, Libby Bateman, has written to the Chancellor of the Exchequer John Healey, asking for funding so that every train station in Cumbria has step-free access.

The Access for All (AfA) programme was launched in 2006 to address the issues faced by disabled passengers and passengers facing mobility restraints (such as heavy luggage or pushchairs) when using railway stations in Great Britain.

However, the last time a new batch of stations was selected and announced for the Access for All programme was back in May 2024, before the last General Election.

An update from the Department for Transport in January states that “the process and timings for identifying potential future AfA projects have not yet been decided”.

In her letter, Libby referenced stations in Cumbria, including Staveley, Workington, Arnside, Armathwaite, Ulverston, and Oxenholme, where access is a huge challenge for passengers with mobility issues.

Writing to the Chancellor, Libby said: “Improving train services in our county is vital in reducing congestion in our town centres and country roads, lowering our carbon emissions, tackling rural isolation, helping commuters and local businesses, and supporting our county’s world leading tourism industry.

“What’s absolutely critical first and foremost is that train travel is accessible for everyone.

“However, I’m afraid that accessibility is too often an afterthought for decision makers.

“In every corner of our county we see stations where passengers with mobility issues, heavy luggage or pushchairs are not able to independently get on a train.

“In 2026, this is simply not good enough.

“Please will your Budget allocate funding so that we can make train stations truly accessible so that no passenger is excluded from using the railways?”