Passenger accessibility has taken a step forward at Broadbottom station in Greater Manchester where a new, fully-accessible toilet is now open.

More than half of all stations in the county are not fully accessible, meaning some customers may struggle to use train services. The station is managed by Northern, which is the second-largest train operating company in the UK, running 2,500 services a day to 500 stations across Northern England.

The new Broadbottom facilities will see the needs of all customers and include baby changing facilities, grab rails and, for those with visual impairments, an audio description system. User-activated distress cords have also been installed, along with low-level panic buttons. Access to the facility is provided by way of a radar key, the QR code which appears on a train ticket or through video access which is linked to the 24-hour customer contact centre at Northern.

Designed by Seed Architects, the building had been cladded in sandstone and also uses dark grey roof tiles to match the existing station buildings. Accessibility groups were consulted during the design process and their expertise and guidance ensured that all needs were met.

The new building was funded by Transport for Greater Manchester and is part of a multi-million project to install 83 such toilets across the county.  The project will involve the refurbishment of some facilities, introduction of new toilets within station buildings or the provision of stand-alone toilet pods.

Craig Harrop, regional director at Northern, said: “We are delighted to have worked with Transport for Greater Manchester and our other partners to introduce this new accessible toilet facility at Broadbottom. It’s packed full of innovations, safety measures and technology that will cater to the needs of all our customers”.

Simon Elliott, TfGM’s head of rail, said: “The opening of these state-of-the-art facilities at Broadbottom marks the latest step forward in making our rail stations across Greater Manchester more accessible.  A major focus of the Bee Network is making public transport fully accessible, and by providing these facilities we want to encourage more people to choose public transport as a way of getting around the region.

“However, with more than half of Greater Manchester’s railway station still not fully accessible, we recognise that much more work needs to be done to improve this offer, and we will continue working with operators and industry partners to make rail and other modes of public transport accessible to all.”