St Austell station in Cornwall has been visited by the transport minister Baroness Kramer to mark its reopening after a £2.5 million improvement scheme to make the station more accessible.

Thanks to money provided by the government’s Access for All programme, a new footbridge with accessible lifts has been installed, and the waiting room, toilets and shops have been refurbished.

Access for All plans to provide over £500 million by 2019 to install step-free access at 215 stations across the country.

Baroness Kramer said: “These improvements will make a real difference to passengers in St Austell, as well as providing an impressive and convenient gateway for tourists visiting the area. This is all part of our plan to build a stronger economy and a fairer society.”

She was joined by representatives from First Great Western, Network Rail, Cornwall Council, St Austell Town Council and the Devon and Cornwall Rail Partnership to celebrate the reopening on January 22nd.