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To Accelerate AfA Delivery – It’s Time to Embrace DtC

Value for money always matters. In the case of Access for All (AfA) programmes, improving value for money means giving more people the freedom to access the rail network within the constraints of a finite budget. Maximising value for money has a number of interconnected facets. Above all we boost value by managing project complexity […]

AfA Is Bigger Than Inside The Station

Access for All (AfA) represents a substantial investment in making the rail network more accessible and welcoming for people with reduced mobility. Whether it’s full step-free access to platforms or modifications to lighting, signage, layout and facilities, the focus tends to be on what happens inside the station. This is understandable. Adapting a station that’s […]

Why More Delivery Doesn’t Have To Mean More Disruption

Access for All (AfA) represents a transformation for people who previously found the rail network difficult or intimidating to use. The freedom and opportunity offered by rail travel is now something they too can enjoy. Broadening access to rail services through upgraded stations comes with plenty of challenges as Lloyd Jefferson-Smith, Octavius’ Head of Rail […]

Ten steps to more efficient AfA delivery

The Access for All programme needs faster, cheaper delivery. Matt Smith, Managing Director, Octavius Rail, proposes ten practical steps to enhance performance. Network Rail’s Access for All (AfA) programme is not where it should be. Although – thus far – more than 200 stations have been upgraded to offer step-free access, there are more than […]

Stoneleigh Access for All: The same but different

About the project Stoneleigh – in Epsom, southwest London – is one of Surrey’s busiest stations. Stoneleigh Access for All (AfA) made the bustling station accessible for users with mobility challenges and easier to navigate for rail users with children, heavy luggage or shopping. Unique surroundings and location Covered footbridge, three lifts, three sets of […]

Why AfA Means More Than Step-Free Access

Imagine trying to navigate your way through your local train station with your eyes closed. Or negotiating the process of buying a ticket, finding the way to the right platform and boarding the right train if your hearing was seriously impaired. You wouldn’t find it easy.These are everyday realities for millions of people: levels of […]

Ryde Pier completion: a legacy of innovation and social value

You know an innovation is good when it starts to stick. You know a project is successful when the benefits extend beyond enhanced infrastructure. As Octavius hands back Ryde Pier to South Western Railway, enabling the first trains to run in eight months, the team leaves a legacy of innovation and social value. Ryde Pier […]

Motspur Park Access for All: More than an AfA

About the project It’s not only people with mobility challenges, buggies and heavy luggage who benefit from Motspur Park Station’s Access for All (AfA) project. For those living either side of the line to London Waterloo at Motspur it is now easier to cross the tracks. In addition to providing step-free access to the station’s […]

The Enduring Benefits Of Investing In Accessible Rail Services

The latest transportfocus report into motivations and barriers to train use contains some interesting findings that point to the long-term value and benefits of Access for All (AfA) schemes.Of those who reported making fewer train journeys than in the past: 8% gave a deterioration in their physical or mental health as the reason. 12% said […]

Improving Accessibility in the Railway Network

Providing an obstacle free access route from passenger ‘drop off’ to train is a requirement for all rail infrastructure operators.At Octavius we have designed and installed over thirty Access for All (AfA) rail station upgrades and currently have £65m of AfA projects in various stages of delivery: either recently entered passenger service, under construction or […]

Barnes Access for All: Established solution, site-specific challenges

About the project Octavius completed the project to make Barnes Station accessible to all users in 2025. The work followed the proven Access for All (AfA) formula of providing two footbridges, three lifts and three staircases. As with all AfA projects successful delivery was about ensuring this established solution could be made suitable for station-specific […]