Network Rail has announced that work has started on a £3.1m project to improve accessibility at Croy station in North Lanarkshire.

The nine-month project will see Network Rail install a new footbridge and lifts to make it easier for people with impaired mobility or those travelling with luggage, children or cycles to access the platforms on the busy Edinburgh-Glasgow (E&G) route.

When complete, the footbridge will take station users from the entrance, over the railway, with lifts providing step-free access to and from the Edinburgh bound platform.

Preparatory work on the 'Access for All' scheme started this month with the construction of the bridge set to begin in January, subject to agreement with North Lanarkshire Council. Installation of the bridge and lifts is scheduled to be completed in August 2022.

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Michael McArthur, Network Rail's project manager for the accessibility work, said: "The bridge being built at the station delivers modern standards of access for those travelling to or from Croy on a day-to-day basis and will improve the travelling experience for passengers.

"The new bridge and lifts will help everyone in the community access services at Croy station easily as part of our efforts to enable even more people to travel by train.

"Delivering step-free access at stations to open up our network is one important way in which we are improving the overall experience of travelling on Scotland's railway."

The project has been funded by the Access for All scheme, which is a rolling programme of investment designed to improve access within stations for people with impaired mobility.

Since its launch in 2006, Access for All has funded improvements at 25 Scottish stations, with a further six – Johnstone, Croy, Anniesland, Port Glasgow, Uddingston and Dumfries – due to be upgraded over the next five years.