Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment he has made of the adequacy of the level of access for disabled and partially sighted people at Wolverhampton Railway Station.

The Inclusive Transport Strategy included a commitment to extend our Access for All programme (AfA) with an additional £300m of funding.

The department has asked the industry to nominate stations for the new funding by 16 November this year. Nominated stations will be selected based on their annual footfall, weighted by the incidence of disability in the area. We will also take into account local factors such as proximity to a hospital or the availability of third party funding for the project. We will also ensure that there is a fair geographical spread of projects across the country.

West Midland Train’s application to the AfA fund is going to come via the West Midlands Station’s Alliance. This is a unique arrangement where the Train Operating Company has come together with Network Rail and local government (in the form of the West Midlands Rail Executive) to improve the coordination between the various parties responsible for station assets. This includes better alignment of the incentives to invest in station enhancements.