Greater Anglia under fire as Stowmarket woman voices disappointment in delays for ‘revolutionary’ train station bridge

A woman with mobility issues says she is disappointed by further delays to a new accessible bridge at a train station and the lack of communication surrounding the project.

Hollie-Anne Brooks, 36, of Stowmarket, who lives with ME and a rare neurological disorder, relies on a crutch and regularly uses the town’s train station to travel.

Speaking with SuffolkNews in January, she welcomed news that Greater Anglia had started building a £5.5 million ‘revolutionary’ bridge with lifts — a project aimed at improving accessibility as the only current step-free alternative involves a lengthy detour via the level crossing.

However, with the project now delayed by another six months due to unforeseen issues in lift manufacturing, Hollie-Anne believes that situations like this highlight how the needs of the disabled community are often overlooked.

“I wasn’t surprised to hear the project had been delayed,” she said. “It’s just so disappointing — it just feels like another thing to add to the list of everyday forms of inaccessibility which people like myself have to face on a daily basis.

“Seeing the works taking place, it gave me some hope, like a light at the end of the tunnel — but yet again, its another sign of disabled people in our country coming last on the list of priorities.

“Its feeling more and more like we are being forgotten about.”

The freelance journalist, whose life was changed after contracting meningitis and sepsis, underwent eight weeks of rehabilitation to learn to walk again.

Having spent about two and a half years as a full-time wheelchair user, Hollie-Anne continues to struggle with fatigue, pain and mobility issues.

She described her past experiences of using Stowmarket train station as ‘dreadful’ with crossing platforms via the level crossing proving time-consuming, stressful and physically exhausting.

Greater Anglia secured funding for accessibility improvements at the station through the Government’s ‘Access for All’ scheme with the project first announced in June 2022.

The new AVA bridge is the first of its kind in the UK and preparation work so far has included the installation of power and cabling as well as the construction of a new storage unit beneath platform 2 to house lift equipment.

Extra drainage has also been installed to manage rainwater because the bridge and staircases will be roofed, so the car park next to platform 1 was closed to allow drainage works to take place.

Hollie-Anne is now calling for greater transparency and more frequent updates from the rail provider about the project’s progress going forward.

She said: “It’s only because reporters have asked questions that we even know what’s happening — and that’s just not good enough.

“People deserve to know where they stand and being disabled takes so much planning and admin, so the more notice we have, the better.”

She added that while some people may see the project as ‘just a bridge’, she believes the new footbridge will be life-changing for her and people with mobility issues.

“It will give me the same freedom to travel just as much as my friends do,” she said. “It’s all about having equal access.

“But as things are, I think it’s enough to put people off coming to Stowmarket altogether.”

Greater Anglia refused to comment further regarding residents’ concerns.