Study Into Ash Vale Station Access Is Almost Complete, Says Government

Published on: 23 Apr, 2025
Updated on: 29 Apr, 2025

Ash Vale Station, which poses serious problems for people with mobility issues

By David Reading

The Government has confirmed that a feasibility study for Ash Vale Station is well underway, looking at whether to introduce changes that will make the station accessible for passengers facing mobility problems.

The confirmation has been made in response to a question in the House of Commons from Jeremy Hunt, MP for Godalming and Ash.

The station is situated on a high embankment, which can only be accessed by flights of stairs. Last summer the Dragon reported that nearly 2,700 people had signed a petition to grant step-free access at the station.

Simon Lightwood, Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Transport, said in response to Mr Hunt’s question about what progress had been made: “The feasibility work for Ash Vale Station is underway and we expect all 50 of the feasibility studies announced last year to be complete in the spring. We expect to be able to confirm which stations will move forward over the summer.”

But he added that the improvement programme – “Access for All” – continued to be heavily oversubscribed.

Jeremy Hunt, MP

Mr Hunt said afterwards: “I will be pushing the Department for Transport and other interested parties to ensure this vital investment is confirmed, so that we can ensure Ash Vale is accessible to all who live, visit and work in the community. We’re making progress but more still to do.”

In June 2024, the Dragon reported that the six-year campaign for accessibility improvements to the station had passed a major hurdle.

That was when it was announced that Ash Vale had been included in the list of 50 stations nationwide that had been put forward as part of the Government’s Access for All (AfA) programme. AfA was launched in 2006 to address the issues faced by disabled passengers and those facing mobility restraints.