Alok Sharma, the Member of Parliament for Reading West, has welcomed the announcement that the Department for Transport will be providing £1.73million additional funding to complete works making Theale Station wheelchair accessible.

Rail Ministers made the announcement yesterday that Theale would receive the extra funding, as part of the Government’s ‘Access for All’ scheme. Alok has been lobbying Ministers for the extra money after he was made aware that there was a shortfall in funding to build a new footbridge and associated lifts.

Some work has already begun on the station upgrade, which will include improvements to the car park, a new ticket office, new cycle parking, a refreshment area and new pedestrian entrance. The station will now also benefit from an upgraded CCTV system.

Alok Sharma said: “It is excellent news that the funding has now been secured to complete the works on a new lift and footbridge at Theale Station, which I have been pressing ministers for. Thanks to this extra money, Theale Station will in future be much more accessible for individuals in wheelchairs, as well as parents with pushchairs and buggies.”

Alok continued: “The Government is delivering the most ambitious programme for upgrading our railways since Queen Victoria was on the throne and this extra funding commitment adds to the growing list of projects being delivered in the Reading area, including the billion pound upgrade of Reading station, the introduction of Crossrail, Western Rail Access to Heathrow and smaller more local projects like Theale station.”