KENDALL Railway Station is one of just nine earmarked for an accessibility upgrade and Transport for NSW wants the community to help it come up with the concept design.

The current plan is to make it easier for the elderly, people with disabilities, parents with prams, and others with mobility challenges, to access the station and platform.

Accessible pathways with tactile ground surface indicators will be installed, the platform will be widened and there will be new “kiss and ride” and bus drop-off zones.

Personal safety will be a priority with lighting and CCTV coverage to be upgraded, and secure bike parking to be provided.

News of the upgrade has come as a surprise to at least one member of the Kendall Craft Cooperative, which operates out of the unmanned station.

They told News Of The Area that coaches already drop-off passengers directly “out the front” and that “it is hard to see where there is room to widen the platform”.

This is the sort of feedback Transport for NSW wants from the community.

Planning will take nine months to a year and will involve Port Macquarie-Hastings Council.

Initial feedback can be emailed to projects@transport.nsw.gov.au and station users can sign-up for regular updates.

One northbound and three southbound XPTs stop at Kendall each day.

It is also a pre-booked request stop for the XPTs to Casino and Brisbane.

The other stations to be upgraded as part of the $800 million Safe Accessible Transport program are Wingham, Kempsey, Macksville, Urunga, Nambucca Heads, Sawtell, Yass and Canberra.

By Sue STEPHENSON