Scotland’s Railway Completes Major Accessibility Project at Port Glasgow

Sunday, March 3, 2024

Scotland’s Railway had the pleasure of hosting MP Ronnie Cowan and MSP Stuart McMillan once more at Port Glasgow station.

The purpose of their visit was to discuss the effective completion of the £5m initiative aimed at enhancing accessibility for passengers.

Initiated last February, the project to ensure step-free access at the station was executed by Network Rail and the main contractor, STORY, on behalf of Scotland’s Railway. This initiative has significantly facilitated the movement across platforms for individuals with limited mobility, or those travelling with children, luggage, or bicycles.

Throughout the project, Mr. Cowan and Mr. McMillan were kept informed about the progress and had several meetings with the project team during key phases. These included the installation of a new footbridge and lift towers, as well as the project’s ceremonial conclusion in December.

More recently, they discussed the removal of the old footbridge, which occurred during planned closures on the Inverclyde line, marking the project’s successful finalization.

Laura Craig, Scheme Project Manager for Network Rail, said: “It was great to welcome Mr Cowan and McMillan back to the station now that the main work is complete.

“Throughout the project, we’ve appreciated the opportunity to liaise with elected members, Inverclyde Council and Port Glasgow West Community Council who have all helped us make sure the community were kept well informed about the work taking place at the station.

“Thanks also to Transport Scotland, Department for Transport, ScotRail and SPT for their support in making this project complete on time and within budget.”

Ronnie Cowan, MP for Inverclyde, said: “This is a major boost for Port Glasgow and Inverclyde as a whole.

“A huge factor in getting people to use our railways is in making things easy and accessible.

“That means it should be easy for people with a disability or health issue, elderly people and mums and dads and even grandads like me juggling children’s buggies.

“The late SNP councillor Jim MacLeod lobbied for these improvements tirelessly as a champion of disability issues and these fantastic improvements at our station form a lasting legacy to Jim.

“I’d like to thank Network Rail and the contractors STORY for delivering this complex series of improvements with the absolute minimum of disruption.”

Stuart McMillan, MSP for Greenock and Inverclyde, said: “I’m delighted to see the improvement works at Port Glasgow have been completed, providing step-free access throughout the station to ensure all local commuters can get the most out of Scotland’s railway.

“I want to thank Network Rail and all those involved in bringing this project to fruition – particularly the campaigning efforts of late Councillor Jim MacLeod and the Hurrell family.”

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