Save the Bath Spa Ramp

Save the Bath Spa Ramp

Convenient and useful ramped access to the London-bound platform is due to be removed in favour of retail units.

UPDATE: Join the Facebook group!

The ramp is currently used by:

  • Passengers with heavy luggage,
  • Cyclists,
  • Parents of young children in pushchairs/buggies,
  • Elderly and disabled passengers awaiting pickup at the car park at the top of the ramp, and
  • Regular passengers desiring a swifter, less stressful exit from the station.

As part of the SouthGate development and the new Bath Transport Interchange, plans have been submitted which would see the removal of this very useful facility, and its "replacement" with a single passenger lift (capacity: 16, but only if those 16 people have no luggage or bikes) per platform. All of the above users of the ramp would be forced to either use the stairs (already overcrowded at peak times) or wait to use the lift.

The Station Manager at Bath Spa is worried about how the stairs (plus one lift) will cope with increased passenger flow once the ramp is removed. The stairs are narrow and steep; once the previous ramp users are forced to use them instead, the likelihood of an accident increases.

Certain parties have claimed that the situation was reviewed by experts and that it is too late to change anything. Although planning permission was granted 6 or more years ago, it is not clear that a sufficiently robust safety review has been conducted. We want to ensure that passenger safety and access is not compromised in favour of profit from retail units.

How to help

If you are a user of Bath Spa station, whether you currently use the ramp or not, your journey will be affected by these proposed changes.

Please email the following key people and tell them that the ramp must be retained for safety and access and that substitution by lifts will not provide a solution.

Join the Facebook group!

Thank you,

More Train Less Strain