A lot more scrutiny is needed around how the assisted travel service is delivered to the elderly and disabled communities across the railways in the united kingdom.
This especially relates to the team from Network Rail delivering the services for passengers using New Street railway station in Birmingham and helping passengers to safely move around the Midlands and beyond if they require some sort of support to either board or disembark trains at the station.
Those of you reading this will know that I have faced a number of different issues at the station in recent months whilst receiving support from the team in the nations second city to travel around the rail network as a wheelchair user.
Enough is enough and it is time for change around the delivery of the service by Network Rail at some of the nations biggest rail stations, hence why this week I have written to the Minister for Rail and HS2 at the Department for Transport about the issue as I strongly believe that something has to change today and not in the next 5 or 10 years when it suits.
I should not be facing these of types of issues when trying to travel around the railways as a wheelchair user with friends or family in 2026, it is time that these issues are eradicated and not allowed to continue any longer.
My message to the re-appointed Minister, Lord Hendy of Richmond Hill CBE is this ” I am therefore asking you to investigate the standards of passenger assistance at Birmingham New Street and to hold those responsible to account. Disabled passengers deserve a service that is safe, reliable, respectful and delivered with professionalism. No one should have to experience the failures that I and many others have faced simply because they require assistance to travel”.
As I have said so many times before Birmingham New Street’s assisted travel team need to be better so that I do not continually have to face these types of issues repeatedly whilst travelling either alone or with others. Self boarding trains is certainly the best way forward for me as a wheelchair user whilst using the railways to get around independently.
Hopefully I won’t have to write another blog of this nature in the future because things will have dramatically improved at the station after being put under the spotlight by government officials at the Department for Transport.
To say that I am fed up by the service that I am currently in receipt of is an understatement and this will always be the case.
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It is only right that I take the opportunity to once again thank the senior conductors at West Midlands Railway (WMR) who have in recent weeks and months gone beyond the call of duty to ensure that I am able to travel home safely to Hereford from Birmingham by rail.
Thank you also to my Member of Parliament and his team for their support in highlighting this issue on behalf of myself and other members of our community who use the railways as a way of keeping some independence.
Your support with this has not gone unnoticed and is of course as always very much appreciated and always will be.
Finally, thank you to each and everyone of you my regular loyal readers and social media followers who continually take the time out of your busy schedules to read my latest posts, it does not go unnoticed and is of course as always very much appreciated.
Cam
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