Most of you reading this will know that earlier this year the transport select committee released a report labelling the accessibility of public transport a “National Embarrassment” for those living with disabilities.
As someone with disabilities who uses public transport, especially trains to remain as independent as possible I hope that the department (for transport) and its select committee can work together and ensure that rail travel is no longer seen as a so called ” National Embarrassment” to our community.
In there (the Department for Transport’s) response to the committees report that was published on Friday June the 13th, 2025 they stated that:
The department intends to work further with representative bodies of disabled people, regulators and operators by convening these stakeholders together to determine how collective can be taken to……………
1. Identify and commit to take practical steps to improve accountability for accessibility failures.
2. Strengthen enforcement mechanisms and regulatory alignment.
3. Elevate the voices of disabled people in shaping enforcement strategies.
4. Showcase and scale up exemplary practices in training, monitoring and redress.
It is only right that steps are taken to safeguard service users when accessibility failures occur especially across the rail network, I was on the wrong end of one of these failures whilst at Birmingham New Street railway station in May this year.
I checked in at the stations ATL (Assisted Travel Lounge) with plenty of time before my scheduled train was due to depart the station, a short time later the Customer Assistant assigned to my booking arrived in the lounge to collect me so that I could be assisted on to the train.
Once we had arrived at the platform the assistant went onto get the ramp from where they are kept on the platforms, when he returned with the ramp I noticed that it wasn’t the correct one for the train that I should be getting.
A change of platform was then announced, leading to all passengers for the service moving platforms and this of course included myself, the realisation hit when I saw the 196 set on the new platform and the gentleman was still in possession of the ramp for a 323 set.
He ” the Customer Assistant” then spent several minutes trying to attach the ramp to the wrong style of train without success and then it was for me to board the train. At this point the gentleman had chosen to place his foot at the bottom of the ramp to hold it in place because it wasn’t secure to the floor of the train.
This is why I warmly welcome the news that the department along with others can collectively take steps to ” improve the accountability of accessibility failures” when they occur.
It is also important to note that the voices of our community should be elevated when it comes to shaping enforcement strategies and when rail operators like WMT (West Midlands Trains) develop some good practice across the area of accessibility, this should also be celebrated.
I also welcome the news that the department wants to look at ” what works best and is most likely to impact a lasting awareness and understanding of accessibility amongst operator management and staff.
As I have said on a number of occasions in recent weeks, months and of course years, those of us who use the rail network and are in wheelchairs cannot just step on and off trains in the same way that our able-bodied counterparts can.
Understanding “Accessibility” is key to ensuring that operators and those working for them don’t put up any barriers to us as members of society using the network when trying to keep a sense of independence in our daily lives.
Training is a key element of this work, I asked Network Rail in a freedom of information (FOI) request:
- How often do the passenger assistance team at Birmingham New Street have refreshers on how to use the ramps?.
- Have all of the team been trained on how to operate them for West Midlands Train’s 196 fleet.
The answer I received from Network Rail was that they don’t receive refreshers on how to operate the ramps on a yearly basis and have all been trained in how to operate the ramps for WMT’s 196 fleet.
An improvement in the assisted travel provision offered by both rail operators and Network Rail is needed as I currently believe that it is not ” fit for purpose” despite the introduction of………..
A. The passenger assist app
B. Reducing the 24 hour travel assist notice period to just a couple of hours.
However more ” Customer Assistants” with the focus of delivering the passenger assistance service are needed at mainline stations like Birmingham New Street, London Paddington and Manchester Piccadilly where the service is managed by Network Rail.
New Street station currently does not have enough of these dedicated members of staff and there have been occasions where I have been asked by those running the ATL to make my own way down to the platform where one of the team will meet me.
Do you travel by rail on a regular basis and require assistance to board or disembark services, your assisted travel can be booked up to 2 hours before departure in 1 of 3 ways.
By Phone: 0800 024 8998 or by using Next Generation Text – 18001 0800 024 8998.
Online: https://booking.passengerassistance.com.
By using the App: https://apps.apple.com/gb/app/passenger-assistance/id1542190496.
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It is only right that I end by paying tribute to the staff from Network Rail and the rail operators for there support in ensuring that I along with thousands of others can travel with confidence and ease on a regular basis across the nation by rail. It does not go unnoticed and is of course very much appreciated.
A thank you must also go to you, my loyal readers and social media followers who continually take the time out of your busy schedules to read my latest posts each week within minutes of publication in some cases. it as always doesn’t go unnoticed and is of course very much appreciated.
Cam
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