Member for Gosford, Liesl Tesch, has welcomed the beginning of construction on accessibility upgrades to Point Clare railway station.
Tesch, who has long championed the community in agitating for the upgrades, said work was due to be completed by October 2022 as part of the NSW Government’s Transport Access Program.
“(This is) welcome news to those who currently struggle to access the facilities due to limited mobility, disabilities, luggage, or as parents and carers with prams,” she said.
“So many residents in Point Clare who need mobility access are forced to stop at Gosford or Woy Woy train stations because they are equipped with lifts and ramps.
“These barriers to public transport are discriminatory and need to be torn down – I am very pleased that this will finally be the case for Point Clare station.”
Tesch said that many stations in the region remain inaccessible and has called on the State Government to ensure that accessibility upgrades are made at all stations.
“People who are limited in their mobility should be able to conveniently access our transport system wherever they need to travel to or from,” she said.
“Accessibility should be the expectation of our community, not an aspiration of the NSW Government.”
The Point Clare station upgrades will include: two new lifts connecting each platform to the commuter carparks; a new ramp from Kurrawa Ave Commuter Car Park to connect to the new lifts; new stairs from the Kurrawa Ave entry to the station underpass; two new accessible parking spaces and one kiss and ride space in the Brisbane Water Dr carpark; one new accessible parking space and one kiss and ride space in the Kurrawa Avenue carpark; upgraded pathways around the station precinct; toilet upgrades; minor platform improvements; reconfigured bicycle parking on Brisbane Water Dr; and improvements to lighting, electricity supply, wayfinding and security camera system (CCTV).
Source:
Media release, Nov 5
Member for Gosford,
Liesl Tesch