In My View: Marsha de Cordova, MP for Battersea

As a life lifelong campaigner on equality issues and disabled people’s rights, I have carried through these priorities into Parliament where I have worked tirelessly since my election in 2017 to push for all modes of transport to be accessible and inclusive.

It is clear to me that we must seize the opportunity to incorporate an agenda of accessibility and inclusivity as we have done with the Northern line extension to Battersea Power Station.

That is why I want to see the extension of the Northern line to Clapham Junction.

Enhancing our transport infrastructure can lead to enormous benefits.

Large scale improvements such as step-free access at stations or smaller enhancements like tactile paving or handrails open journeys for disabled passengers.

However, the benefits can extend to all passengers such as families with pushchairs or passengers travelling with luggage.

Research also shows that even conservatively estimated, benefits of around £72.4billion could be gained each year from closing the accessibility gap.

I have been campaigning for all rail stations in Battersea to be made accessible with three out of four Battersea rail stations now fully or partially accessible including Clapham Junction which is one of the busiest interchange stations in Europe.

Battersea Park and Wandsworth Town railway stations are currently in the design and implementation stages respectively as a result of Government Access for All (AfA) funding which I campaigned for.

Unfortunately, Queenstown Road railway station is still not accessible or inclusive for all passengers.

Making this station accessible is especially imperative given the ongoing large-scale development in Nine Elms with 20,000 new homes and 25,000 new jobs forecast for the area.

To meet this demand, and more crucially, to ensure that this development delivers for all, it is essential that the station gets the necessary investment through AfA funding.

To this end, together with key stakeholders such as the Southwest Railways and the council, I have been calling for Queenstown Road station to be selected in the next round of AfA funding.

It is vital that the Government selects the station, so it is accessible for all rail users.

Through AfA funding and the extension of the Northern line, we can reconfigure the inaccessible infrastructure and build a more inclusive transport system for all in Battersea.