Use HS2 cash to upgrade Ledbury Railway Station, says MP

Prime Minister Rishi Sunak scrapped the Birmingham to Manchester leg of the high speed rail project, promising instead to put the money into hundreds of smaller transport projects.

Sir Bill Wiggin, the MP for North Herefordshire, wants some of the funding to come to Ledbury.

Sir Bill has written to the transport secretary (Image: Sir Bill Wiggin)

He has written to transport secretary Mark Harper to request money for Ledbury station, which currently has an accessibility rating of B3.

There is no disabled access from one platform to another, making the eastbound platform inaccessible to those with mobility issues.

Sir Bill urged the Government to use funds from the northern leg of HS2 to upgrade the station and invited Mr Harper to Ledbury to visit the station. 

Sir Bill said in his letter: “In 2019 we were elected on a promise to level up every part of the United Kingdom – not just our towns and cities, but our rural areas too. 

“The Government has reconsidered the HS2 project due to its increased costs and financial inviability.

“I can think of no better use of those funds than for providing disabled access for Ledbury station’s eastbound platform.”

Sir Bill has been calling for better accessibility at the station for more than a decade, as have town councillors and community groups.

Back in 2014, Ledbury missed out as almost 300 other stations were nominated by the rail industry for better access.

County councillor Liz Harvey has described the “dangerous situation” of people trying to cross the tracks at Ledbury rather than travelling to Hereford before heading east.

And town councillor Tony Bradford has called the accessibility at the station “ridiculous”.

The first stage of the Government’s £1 billion investment plan has already been announced, with Mr Sunak saying £150 million will be put into bus services in the West Midlands, Greater Manchester and West Yorkshire.