The NSW Transport Minister has labelled footage of a double amputee crawling up the stairs at Unanderra train station as ‘‘distressing’’. Near the top is a senior citizen - well-known Illawarra playwright Wendy Richardson - struggling to carry a bag up the stairs. The second video starts with Ms Schmidt coming down the stairs, holding the railing with both hands. As she nears the bottom, the double amputee appears at the top, this time in his wheelchair. Alarmingly, he turns and descends the stairs backwards, holding the railing and almost losing control at least once.

A wheelchair-bound man struggles down the stairs in the video. Richardson, 81, best-known for her play Windy Gully, said Unanderra was her closest station. "I have had incredible trouble with the stairs," she said. Shocked: Transport Minister Gladys Berejiklian. Credit:Simone De Peak "Until I had a hip replaced in June last year, I struggled up those stairs. It would take me ages.

"I often felt quite precarious, particularly coming down the stairs." The footage was concerning for Ms Berejiklian. OTHER TOP STORIES Teen's eagle eye led to fugitives arrests

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Depression drug used without approval "It's distressing to see anyone in the community struggle to access public transport – whether they're elderly, customers with a disability or families with prams," Ms Berejiklian said.

"I want to see every station on the network accessible with ramps or lifts and that's why, since coming to government, we have worked hard to upgrade stations as part of the Transport Access Program. "When we came to government, nearly two-thirds of all stations on the network were not accessible via ramps or lifts." When asked if the video made the case for lifts at Unanderra station more urgent, Ms Berejiklian said the government took an "evidence-based approach" to determine which transport upgrades would be delivered next. "Unanderra station is being considered as part of this ongoing work and I will continue to listen to the concerns of the community and our hard-working candidate on the ground about this issue," Ms Berejiklian said. Ms Schmidt, a former Transport for NSW employee, is behind a Facebook page calling for lifts to be installed at Unanderra station.

Transport for NSW oversees the Transport Access Program, which aims to provide "stations that are accessible to the disabled, ageing and parents with prams", its website says. Ms Schmidt worked under contract as an administration assistant until late last year. After she left, she dedicated more time to the campaign for the installation of lifts at Unanderra. It's an issue that affects Ms Schmidt – she suffered a stroke on Easter Monday, 2008, and her ability to walk unaided is limited. "I only use the station if I have someone who can assist me," she said. "I wouldn't be able to use it on my own because I have a walking frame that I use when I go out on my own in public. I would not be able to carry that up the stairs and walk up at the same time.

"I wouldn't be able to use the station if I needed to catch the train to go to work or anything like that. I can drive as well, so at the moment, if I do need to go on the train, I have to drive to Wollongong to do that." As part of her campaign, she launched the Facebook page, Elevators for Unanderra Train Station, on Saturday. The page has struck a chord – as of midday on Tuesday it had 1487 likes. "I put it up on Saturday and it's blown out of proportion," she said. "I did not expect to get that much response. It's been overwhelming and I'm glad to see that so many people are getting on board to support it." Ms Schmidt believed it was the video of the man with no legs climbing up the stairs that had sparked the support from the community and the politicians.

She said was "appalled" to see the man forced to make his way up the stairs on his hands. "A lot of people would hear about these things previously and think they were bad but it's a little different when you actually see it with your own eyes," Ms Schmidt said. "I think seeing that footage has made people think 'Hang on, that's not the best thing for him to have to do.' I think it makes a big difference that people can see it with their own eyes." The Illawarra Mercury