Sir Robert Syms, your MP for Poole, invites you to submit any feedback you may have to help South Western Railway make their network more accessible. The Department for Transport is making funds available for railway station access improvements and SW Railway hopes to direct its efforts to the areas of greatest need. They need to know from you, the rail passengers, about any accessibility issues that bother you.

Access to railway facilities for people with mobility or disability issues can sometimes be a serious hindrance to travelling by rail. The Government is determined to ease the journey of anyone who travels by rail and to ensure that people facing mobility or disability challenges enjoy their journey as much as anyone else. That's why the Department of Transport has announced new funding for station improvements across the UK as part of its Access for All programme.

South Western Railway will nominate stations in its network for funding. The company will prioritise applications for funding against criteria such as footfall at the station or proximity to hospitals or care homes. The funding is limited and the application process is competitive, so the company aims to make strong and evidence based nominations.

South Western Railway has approached Sir Robert to help ensure an effective outreach to rail travellers in Poole. Sir Robert invites you to contact him or the company with any input you may have regarding stations in Poole or improvements to those stations that might improve access to the rail services.

When making a submission, please state which station you are nominating, what improvement you wish to see, why you think the improvement is important, and and how we can get in touch with you if we need to do so.

The deadline for Poole's submission is Friday, 26 October 2018.

Photo: Sir Robert Syms MP with Cllr Elaine Atkinson at Parkstone station