A disabled man will be able to use a new lift at his local train station after he and his foster mother campaigned for 27 years for better disabled access.
John Mahoney uses a wheelchair and, with his foster Mum Sue, has led a campaign for the changes at Birkenhead Park Merseyrail Station. This week a new lift was opened at the station as part of a wider £10m accessibility investment across the network.
Speaking at the opening event John said: “I am very happy. It means I can now go to the theatre more which I am very excited about. Thank you so much to all the people who have helped.”
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Birkenhead Park is the first of five stations with funding to get lifts installed with Hunt’s Cross, St Michael’s, Hillside and Broadgreen also to become more accessible.
Sue Mahoney said: “It is absolutely amazing. They have actually listened to disabled people. It is overwhelming.”
She said when John was young, he used a smaller wheelchair so going up and down the 16 steps at the station was less difficult but when he grew up, using the station was a struggle.
She said: “Other stations weren’t an option. The routes between here and the other nearest station were just not accessible and we had to go on the road because of drops in the pavement.”
Birkenhead Park is now the 58th Merseyrail station to be considered step-free with Rock Ferry expected to be a strong candidate for a future funding bid, according to Liam Robinson, chair of Liverpool’s Transport Committee.
Councillor Liz Grey, who represents Bidston and St James, said she had been campaigning on the issue since she became a councillor in 2018 alongside councillor Julie McManus. She said: “I worked really hard on this. It was my first issue as a candidate and a new councillor. We are both really excited and proud.”
Sue said she was pleased the local community got behind the scheme adding: “The work was quite noisy but nobody cared, nobody complained. It just shows that it is possible. If everyone works together it is possible.”
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