OPINION: Step-free access at Flitwick Station must be funded immediately

Flitwick station still being without step-free access is unacceptable. After years of campaigning and promises, local people deserve better.

The campaign for step-free access at Flitwick began long before I was elected as our MP. Local campaigners, including Ian Cook, have worked tirelessly to highlight the need for improved accessibility. Since being elected, I have raised the issue repeatedly in Parliament and directly with Network Rail.

I thought we had finally made some positive progress when Network Rail told me the project was expected to be completed by Spring 2027. It felt like a real step forward for our community.

So it is incredibly frustrating to learn that the funding necessary to complete the work is still not available. The lack of step-free access has real consequences for people. Disabled passengers, those with mobility issues, parents with pushchairs, and travellers with heavy luggage are all affected. Without step-free access, the station remains inaccessible to many, limiting opportunities and making travel unnecessarily difficult. In 2026, that is simply unacceptable.

Flitwick is a busy station serving a growing community. Local people rely on it every day for commuting, education, and leisure. They should not have to face barriers that make travel stressful or impossible. The Government must recognise that accessibility is not optional – it is essential.

We need immediate action. The extra funding required must be released so that work can begin without further delay. Years of campaigning, planning, and parliamentary attention should not be wasted because of a shortfall in resources. Local voices must be heard, and local people deserve to know that their station will finally be fully accessible.

And unfortunately it’s not just Flitwick which remains without step-free access. Despite recently receiving a brand new footbridge, Harlington station is also yet to benefit from step-free access. It seems baffling that this wasn’t installed at the same time as the new footbridge, but Network Rail have told me that provisions were made in the design so that lifts can be added further down the line if funding is made available. I will continue pushing on this front.

Back in Flitwick, this campaign has been rumbling on for years and years. So I urge everyone in the area to make their voices heard by signing the petition I have set up calling on the Government to provide the funding needed.

You can sign the petition here: https://www.blakestephenson.uk/petition-fund-step-free-access-flitwick-station