A £6 million project aimed at enhancing the accessibility of Herne Bay station has successfully concluded with the addition of two new lifts and a footbridge.
This significant investment, part of the Department for Transport’s ‘Access for All’ scheme, has made the station much more user-friendly for wheelchair users, individuals with limited mobility, and those traveling with heavy luggage, bicycles, or pushchairs.
The project commenced at the end of November 2023 and was completed in March 2025. It involved installing two new 16-person lifts, which provide step-free access from the main entrance to each platform.
The existing subway at the station has been retained and remains open to customers. Importantly, the station remained operational throughout the construction, ensuring no disruption to passenger access.
With final testing now complete, the lifts are open and ready for use by customers.
David Davidson, Network Rail’s Kent Route Director, said: “I’m delighted that we’ve been able to open our latest Access for All scheme at Herne Bay which will provide step-free access to those in wheelchairs, or with pushchairs or heavy luggage to be able to reach their trains.
“We want our railway to be as inclusive as possible and Access for All is opening up travel by rail to more and more people. Herne Bay just the latest station to be completed with more to come across our network over the next few years. Work has also started on a major scheme at Hither Green, and another project at Shortlands is set to be completed in the coming weeks.”
Steve White, Southeastern’s Managing Director, said: "It’s great to see the lifts now open for our customers at Herne Bay, ensuring more people can travel independently and with confidence. The timing is perfect with Easter and the busy summer season ahead for this popular station.
“This scheme supports the strong increase in the number of passengers with accessibility needs choosing rail travel. Encouragingly, the majority are now travelling as turn-up-and-go customers, without needing to pre-arrange assistance.
"We know we still have much more to do to create a fully accessible railway. That is why we are dedicated to working with our Alliance partner, Network Rail, to bring forward more Access for All schemes, alongside our complementary station work to provide more accessible toilets and other customer facilities. To provide easier access from platform to train, we are also working to replace our aging Metro trains with a more modern and accessible fleet.”
Herne Bay will be the latest station in Kent and south east London to benefit from accessibility upgrades as part of the Department for Transport’s (DfT) AfA scheme, following Canterbury East (August 2021), St Mary Cray (Jan 2022), Chatham (Nov 2022), Petts Wood (December 2023), Bexley (April 2023) and Plumstead (November 2024).
The Shortlands AfA scheme is set for completion this Spring.
Image credit: Network Rail
