Disabled fears over station plan

Wheelchair users are warning that a new scheme for Bath Spa railway station could put disabled people at risk.

Ramps, which are used by disabled passengers to reach the platforms, are to be removed to make way for a piazza and link to the bus station.

Wheelchair-user Talan Skeels-Piggins said without them, disabled passengers could be stranded in an emergency. First Great Western said a 13-person lift, which could be used for chairs and buggies, was due to be installed.

But Mr Skeels-Piggins, who suffered severe spinal injuries in a motorbike accident in March 2003, said: "If there's a fire and the lift is out of operation, who gets to stay up on the station platform, while the others get evacuated? My view is that a 13-man lift isn't big enough. If they're going to put in a lift, why don't they put in two, in case one breaks down? Lifts are forever breaking down. If it's broken and out of order, then how do we get access to and from the platforms?"

David Niven, who managed children's disability services for Bath and North East Somerset Council for 10 years, said: "If there was a major incident, a train crash or fire, effectively, [wheelchair users] would not be as able to evacuate as others."

A statement from First Great Western said: "The current arrangement for wheelchair customers to cross the tracks is via the car park. This requires assistance from station staff. Plans for the new lifts are currently being evolved by architects. It's a stretching design challenge which needs to balance the strong need to provide access for our customers, with the obvious planning constraints of a listed building."

Planning approval for the £350m Southgate Project was granted in 2003. It will include a mix of new shops, leisure facilities, restaurants and homes, served by a modern public transport hub.