On July the 20th this year I wrote the Department for Transport to share some of my experiences of using the assisted travel lounge at Birmingham New Street railway station as someone who users a wheelchair to navigate everyday life.
In the letter I spoke at length about the fact that on occasion, wrong ramps have been used for boarding trains, ramps have not been secured to carriages before leaving services and staff have also been somewhat unprofessional when talking about passengers using the service and raising concerns about the delivery of it.
The Transport Secretary has in the last hour or so responded to my concerns by saying, ” she was sorry to read of the difficulties I have experienced. passengers who rely on assistance services should be able to travel with confidence , knowing that the support they have booked will be delivered safely, reliably and with dignity. It is clear from my account that, on these occasions, the service fell short of thew standard I was entitled to expect”.
” I have raised this matter with Network Rail, which is responsible for managing Birmingham New Street station. Network Rail has assured me that it takes these concerns very seriously, particularly those relating to experience of disabled passengers, staff conduct and the safe delivery of assistance services”.
” Network Rail is keen to directly with you so that it can gain a fuller understanding of the issues you have raised, investigate the incidents greater detail and provide a more comprehensive response to your concerns”.
” Birmingham New Street handles a significant volume of passenger assist requests, supporting thousands of assisted journeys each reporting period. Most of these assists are delivered successfully, helping passengers travel safely and independently. However Network Rail recognise that this does not lessen the impact when assistance falls below the standards that passengers rightly expect”.
” To support continuous improvement, Birmingham New Street has a dedicated Passenger Assistance Lead who is responsible for managing the team, monitoring performance and implementing changes where improvements are identified. Network Rail has shared the concerns raised by you with the relevant management team so that they can be considered as part of that ongoing work”
Finally the Secretary of State concluded with, ” Network Rail remains committed to ensuring that passengers who require assistance receive a service that is safe, reliable and respectful, and it will continue to review any feedback that helps it improver the experience it provides”.
Only time will tell if things improve for those using the assisted travel service at New Street railway station in the second city, Birmingham I for one am not convinced as a wheelchair user who used the service on a fairly regular basis until recently.
Just words alone aren’t good enough anymore, Network Rail change is needed now and not when it suits in the next 5 or 10 years.
If you enjoy reading my posts every week once they have been published then why not subscribe (if you haven’t already) and receive future ones direct to your inbox within just a few short minutes of publication.
Subscribe: https://just-being-cp.co.uk/
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
Leave a Reply