Greater Anglia rail announces first Changing Places facility

Following the completion of redevelopment work at Ely Rail Station, a number of accessibility improvements have been revealed, including Greater Anglia rail’s first Changing Places facility.

Greater Anglia has spent £1.7 million to upgrade the station buildings on Platform 1. A number of accessibility improvements were carried out, including the installation of a Changing Places facility, the first on Greater Anglia’s network, seven disabled parking spaces near the entrance, new automatic doors, level access to create a step free experience and a safer crossing from the car park to the entrance. In addition, the entire station has been redecorated, the front of the building was cleaned and restored and new signage was installed, thanks to a grant from the Railway Heritage Trust. Additional funding for the project was provided by Govia Thameslink Railways.

Speaking to reporters about the improvements, Rebecca Richardson, Greater Anglia’s Accessibility Manager, said: “I’m delighted that we have been able to include our first Changing Places facility within this redevelopment. We want to make sure that everyone can have a good journey with us, so this is a really positive step at a busy interchange station that sees a lot of passengers from all over the country.

“Many of our stations date from Victorian times and don’t often afford enough space for improvements like this, but as Ely was being completely redeveloped, it presented an excellent opportunity. This is certainly something we will consider during future station upgrades elsewhere on our network, where possible.”