State Member for Wallsend, Ms Sonia Hornery MP, has called on the Minister for Transport to explain why recent upgrades and resurfacing at Beresfield Train Station have resulted in larger gaps for passengers catching trains.
In early 2019, Ms Hornery wrote to the Transport Minister about the large step up that passengers faced when trying to get onto trains at the Station. The Minister advised that works would be undertaken to raise the platforms to meet the trains over the next 18 months.
Since June 2019, works have been ongoing at Beresfield Station to reconstruct and resurface the platforms with the final result being the platforms meeting the height of the trains.
Ms Hornery’s office has received dozens of complaints over the last 2 weeks after works on the western end of the platform saw the gap between the trains and the new platform surface increase, not decrease.
Ms Hornery recently put a Question on Notice to the Minister regarding the Station upgrade but an answer has not yet been provided.
Quotes attributable to Member for Wallsend, Sonia Hornery
“In June last year, after a lot of letters and questions to the Minister, I was pleased to see works commence on the reconstruction and resurfacing of the Beresfield Train Station.”
“Many members of the local community have battled long and hard to get this problem fixed.”
“Over the last 2 weeks, I have received dozens of calls and emails from locals who are outraged that the level of the platform has in fact been lowered following works on the western end of the platform.”
“The gap for people to get onto the train was already difficult enough, but it is now even harder for locals, particularly the elderly, people with a disability and parents with prams.”
“The Minister needs to explain why the gap between the train and platform has increased and not decreased for passengers at Beresfield Station.”