The £1.2m project to make a Merseyside station more accessible has been hit by significant delays, with completion now expected almost two years later than initially planned. The scheme, which was designed to improve Broad Green station for those with mobility constraints, was originally due to be finished by March last year.
However, a new report set to be presented to the Liverpool City Region Combined Authority (LCRCA) this Friday will confirm the extended timeline. The delay has been attributed to "circumstances beyond the control of Merseytravel."
Metro Mayor Steve Rotheram has suggested that bringing stations back into public control could expedite such processes in the future.
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The Access for All (AfA) programme, launched by the Department for Transport (DfT) in 2006, funds projects like these to create obstacle-free routes from station entrances to platforms. The Liverpool City Region's AfA programme, which included Broad Green and four other stations on the Merseyrail network, received a total grant of £9.8m for the period April 2019 to March 31 last year.
The four other sites were completed within the timescale, reports .
The Broad Green work includes the installation of two lifts on each platform. Station operator Northern Railways is leading the project on behalf of Merseytravel.
A report to be considered by members this coming Friday, which also includes a proposal to extend the project's duration, said: "The original timescales for the delivery of the scheme have significantly slipped due to circumstances beyond the control of Merseytravel and linked to gaining the necessary technical approvals and matters necessitating the replacement of the original principal contractor appointed by Northern Railways, to undertake the detailed design and construction works."
Northern Railways is currently in the process of selecting a new contractor to design and install the new lifts and a station building. While that process is underway, "In the interim a different Northern framework contractor is making the site safe and secure and making good the work that has been carried out to date."
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The anticipated completion date for the works is now set for December 31, 2026, and financial conclusion is expected by March 31, 2027. Approving the change request would ensure the full realisation of the scheme, to "improve accessibility, safety and comfort for all passengers using Broad Green station."
Speaking to BBC Radio Merseyside, Metro Mayor Rotheram expressed constraints around who the Combined Authority could appoint to complete work on the site, saying: "We can't go out and contract with anyone we want.
"If we take the stations back, we can get this done much more quickly."
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