THE next train service upgrade to arrive at Platform 9 will be the delayed disabled access improvements, calling at Alloa.

Wee County campaigners are still celebrating this week after convincing transport chiefs to address the issue affecting commuters to Stirling Railway Station.

At present the only method of reaching Platform 9 is via a staircase and footbridge, meaning those with mobility issues can struggle to catch connecting services.

Around half of Alloa-Stirling services arrive there, and on occasion Clacks wheelchair users or parents with prams have been left stranded and in need of help to reach the main station concourse.

However, an end to the decade-long dispute appears to now be in sight as Network Rail officially submitted a planning application to Stirling Council last week.

Alloa Community Council has campaigned for change and with the help of the Alloa Advertiser was able to force the authorities to step in.

Now, following a detailed review of the design, the application proposes converting the existing lattice footbridge into a fully accessible structure.

This will allow Stirling to retain the heritage elements of the footbridge while making the station more accessible and creating space beneath the bridge for the electrification of the railway.

If approved, the works would see platform footbridge raise with some other alterations made to the roof canopy. A lift will be installed on Platform 9 to provide step free-access, while the staircase will be demolished and reconstructed.

In addition, there will be alterations to the area between the footbridge and the existing lift on platform 3.

Mhairi Mackenzie, Network Rail’s senior sponsor for the project, said: “These proposals will greatly improve accessibility at Stirling while also allowing us to modernise the railway in a way that is very sympathetic to the historic character of the station.

“The electrification of our railway will allow us to run faster, longer, greener trains and cut journey times while increasing the number of seats available for passengers. This application is a further step forward in our plan to build the best railway Scotland’s ever had.”

The planned enhancements will be delivered as part of the Stirling - Dunblane-Alloa (SDA) Electrification Project.

Once planning permission has been secured, a temporary stepped footbridge will be installed and will be in use for around six months while the existing footbridge is taken away for repair and modification.

Work is expected to begin in either June or July of this year.