Waiting on accessibility update for Ballarat Train Station

Mark Thompson has been at the forefront on this issue for more than a decade and is yet to see changes made so he can easily navigate the station at Ballarat, a year since upgrades were promised.

He travels to and from Melbourne twice a week for work but said it is much easier to use the Wendouree station instead.

"Buses pull up to the train station and there is an easy slope to get up to the platform," Mr Thompson said.

"There is car parking and they have put in more disabled parking [at Wendouree]."

Mark Thompson lives with an acquired brain injury and experiences challenges with physical access.

In 2018, Mr Thompson and four other Grampians DisAbility Advocacy members took the transport department to the Victorian Civil and Administrative Tribunal.

"We won that case with GdA but not much change has come about," Mr Thompson said.

Some small upgrades came out of the VCAT decision, but the overpass is still in the works.

Funding for the overpass was announced by the state government as part of a series of 2026 Commonwealth Games announcements, in October 2022.

The project was then allocated funding in the 2023/24 budget, with $49.2 million to be spent between 2023 and 2026.

Even though the games are cancelled the project will still go ahead, and while there is less pressure on the timeline, the government said it's committed to finishing these projects by 2026.

It is hoped the upgrades will address concerns surrounding the heritage building.

Ballarat is the only station on the line that is not compliant with the state government's Disability Discrimination Act, which stated upgrades needed to be made by the end of 2022.

Save our Station secretary John Barnes is another community member who has been advocating for station upgrades.

He said they still have questions about how the upgrades will fit in with other projects at the station including the now paused Southside Masterplan.

"Who was going to coordinate the project? What were the details of the project? When was the community going to be consulted? We haven't had answers to any of those things," he said.

"Things move at a glacial pace but this is ridiculous."

Mr Barnes said an accessible overpass would help a wide range of the community.

"They're not all people with disabilities, they're people who might have trouble moving a pram and a couple of toddlers or who might be a bit frail and carrying heavy luggage," he said.

Grampians disAbility Advocacy executive officer Roy Rekkie said the commitment was welcomed despite the games cancellation.

"That doesn't necessarily mean the plans are progressing," he said.

"We are committed to seeing that through not just in terms of the funding, but in terms of the work being done, and the reforms taking place."

Mr Rekkie said he welcomed contact with Wendouree MP Juliana Addison who was keeping them updated on the project

The Courier asked Wendouree MP Juliana Addison's office what work had been done on the project over the lasts year and when design work would be shared with the community.

In response a Victorian Government Spokesperson said in a statement "plans for accessibility upgrades at Ballarat Station are in the initial stages of development".

"We'll update the community on designs as these activities progress."

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