A city station will be getting step-free access for the first time as part of a major £4.8m investment.

New lifts and a footbridge will be installed at Canterbury East in a bid to make the station more accessible to passengers with mobility issues, as well as elderly people and parents with young children.

Tactiles will also be installed along both platforms at the Canterbury station, to help passengers with visual impairment.

The project is due to be completed by July 2021.

It is being delivered as part of the Department for Transport’s Access for All programme, which will see accessibility improvements worth £300m rolled out at stations over the next five years.

Rail Accessibility Minister Chris Heaton-Harris said: “Making stations more accessible is vital to allowing more people to get out and about, either to work or see friends and family.

“Step-free access at Canterbury East will give disabled people more confidence to use public transport.”

Fiona Taylor, Kent route director for Network Rail, said: “Access for All is a significant investment, which helps to make using the railway even easier for the millions of passengers, who travel by train every year.

"Canterbury East will have step-free access for the first time and the new bridge and lifts will be a valuable addition to the station’s facilities.”

Kyle Miller, station manager for Southeastern, added: “The new footbridge and lifts will not just make getting around the station easier for people with accessibility issues, but will also be of great benefit to people with luggage, as well as providing an additional route to cross between the platforms."

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