New toilets coming to Daisy Hill and Westhoughton railway stations

Councillor Neil Maher at Daisy Hill railway station

New toilets are coming to Westhoughton and Daisy Hill railway stations.

An accessible toilet will be installed at Daisy Hill along with a lift to make the station accessible.

Construction work on the long-awaited lift is now expected to begin in March, with a completion date in December.

The plans for a lift were recently approved by Bolton Council planning officers. It was also given full support by Liberal Democrat run Westhoughton Town Council.

In its current form, the platforms are only accessible via stairs. In 2019, funding was put in place to create disabled facilities at the station.

Councillor Neil Maher, who represents Westhoughton South ward, said: “The new lift and accessible toilet are very welcome news because many passengers have been denied use of the station because of its inaccessibility. These changes are long overdue.

“We are in 2024 but passengers with disabilities have been long left behind with Victorian-era access. It’s no different to that of when it was built in the 1800s.”

Westhoughton station will also benefit from a smart “pod” toilet.

Despite the new toilet, Westhoughton station remains inaccessible to those who need step-free access. The platform going to Bolton only has stepped access, while the direction of Wigan has a very steep ramp.

Councillors Deirdre McGeown and Arthur Price at Westhoughton railway station

Councillor Deirdre McGeown, who represents Westhoughton North and Hunger Hill ward, said: “A new toilet will be very useful for passengers, but what about those people that are still being told they can’t use this station? In this day and age it is completely unacceptable that the station isn’t accessible to everyone."

“We have been pushing Network Rail to include improved access by replacing the steps and ramp as part of the electrification scheme, which is having £80 million spent on it, with longer platforms, longer and faster trains. We will continue to push the network to take this issue seriously.”

The new pod toilets have been designed with disability groups who have offered their expertise and guidance. They will all have controlled access via either a radar key, a train ticket QR code or video access linked directly to Northern’s 24hr customer contact centre.

Intercoms will be fitted, that both link users to human beings in times of need, but also provide an automated audio description of the toilet and the room upon entry, detailing where certain facilities are and how to use them.

Additional safety and security features have been added including a unique ‘scream’ alert which detects when someone maybe shouting out in distress and immediately connects them to emergency support. The toilets have user activated multiple distress cords and low-level panic buttons.

The intelligent toilets recognise when someone enters and activates an emergency response if after a period of time no user activity is detected, a safety feature designed to assist anyone who may have collapsed or is unconscious.  

A total of 20 brand new toilets will be in operation within a year across the Northern network, with a further 63 scheduled to be built and opened by 2025.