SWR have confirmed that work to make Pokesdown Station accessible has hit a problem due to a shortfall in funding. After design work, a spokesperson for SWR stated "market-led estimates have indicated an anticipated final cost that currently exceeds the total available budget for the project”. Despite statements to the public from MP Tobias Ellwood that "on-site work would commence in October 2024” it seems this is in some doubt.

What does this mean? The project is not over! SWR, BCP Council and Department of Transport have all confirmed that they are fully committed to this project and will pursue options for funding. Working with all concerned we will try and understand what this means and most importantly what happens next.

The community led campaign has been working for over a decade. It’s deeply disappointing and extremely frustrating to look back at all the broken promises over the years. There has been an ever dwindling pot of money to modernise our rail network to meet basic accessibility needs.

Our original proposal was clearly defined and focused solely on lifts. Costs have massively escalated to include unrelated work, and the original accessibility aims sometimes lost in a pursuit of a larger scheme. We urgently ask for clarity from candidates in the forthcoming election over why this has happened, and urge a refocus on aims.

In the meantime, Pokesdown, Southbourne and Boscombe remains a no go area for the disabled, young families or those with heavy luggage travelling by train.