A Victorian footbridge at Chippenham railway station has been demolished to pave the way for its replacement and disabled access to the platform.

Community Access to Rail Travel (CART) group members saw cranes move in on January 24 and remove part of the 1899 bridge, but the last bit came down on Saturday.

The campaigners for people with disabilities and parents with pushchairs have waited for two decades for promised easier access to the station’s platforms.

Two lifts will also be put in, to give access from the Cocklebury Road side. Funding did not stretch to the Hathaway Retail Park side.

CART chairman Maureen Lloyd said: “We have lift off to the journey of advantage for all. I cannot justify in words the elation I feel after almost 20 years of campaigning for access, to finally see it nearing fruition.”

Network Rail said the work was done on Saturday nights, when no trains run, to minimise the impact on passengers. The lifts are due to be installed in June, but the footbridge will open before then.

The £2.98m scheme is being funded in part by the Department for Transport’s Access for All scheme.

Michelle Donelan, the Conserv-ative prospective parliamentary candidate for Chippenham, invited Transport Secretary Patrick McLoughlin to see the progress.

The minister experienced the woes of commuters on his journey to Chippenham. On his arrival at 5.25pm on Thursday, he revealed he had been standing from Bath.

He said: “I do understand the frustration. This Government is investing record amounts in our railways, which will result in better journeys for passengers.”

The price of an annual season ticket rose by an average 2.5 per cent this year, pushing the cost between Chippenham and Bristol to nearly £2,000 and Chippenham to London to more than £9,100.

Ms Donelan said: “I understand that fares are unaffordable. I have consistently campaigned for local train fares to be frozen.”