Everyone has the right to free movement within the UK, regardless of their physical abilities. One of the most popular forms of transport is still the somewhat-antiquated railway network that criss-crosses the country. While rail companies are doing their best to update old rolling stock and make sure the system is fit for purpose in the 21st century, one area is still a problem, and that’s accessibility.
There has been a steady increase in the number of people who choose to use our rail network to travel, and to be fair, the network (including platforms and stations as well as rolling stock) has tried to keep up with demand for accessibility from disabled travellers. However, many people, and in particular wheelchair users, say more can and should be done to remove the challenges and difficulties they face every time they board a train.
Tourism for All
One organisation that works specifically with disabled travellers is called Tourism for All, and they think a lot more can be achieved simply through education and training. The organisation, which provides disabled tourists with travel and holiday information and encourages companies to improve their accessibility to disabled people, is trying to raise awareness of the problems that disabled travellers face daily.
A list of concerns
From disabled toilet facilities to actually being ‘forgotten about’ on a train and being left alone and unaided, Tourism for All found that many users were still finding the whole railway experience to be trying and, sometimes, quite frightening. They, like many other organisations, feel that a lot more can be done to make disabled passengers feel not only included in the journey experience, but safe too. They list several concerns that include:
- Having to book assistance in advance, sometimes having to provide more than 24 hours’ notice
- Being forgotten by their designated rail assistant, or left on the train
- No conductor to assist them during the journey
- No space in the designated wheelchair area
- Being sectioned in with the luggage rather than sharing space with fellow passengers
- Inoperative accessible toilets or no access at all to disabled toilet facilities
The Papworth Trust recently carried out some research which concluded that seven out of ten disabled travellers would be more inclined to use trains if they didn’t have to book in advance. So, with two major disabled organisations indicting that things still need to improve, what is the rail company’s response?
Disability awareness courses
The rail industry says that the rise in the number of disabled passengers indicates that their improvements are having the desired effect, and is encouraging more disabled travellers onto the network. However, they do concede that there is still room for further improvements. This includes the introduction of disability awareness courses for staff, so that they can provide the right kind of assistance to disabled passengers. This alone could help less able-bodied travellers feel more comfortable about using the network, knowing that they will be able to get the assistance they need.
Courses have included getting staff to put on sight-limiting goggles to help them understand the challenges faced by visually impaired travellers. There are also plans on some parts of the network to install lower ticket counters, improve the toilet facilities on trains for disabled travellers, and install railings and ramps at stations. But the biggest improvement has to be in ensuring network staff empathise with disabled travellers, and know how to help them have a better experience.
Mind the gaps… in the network
Plans to introduce driver-only trains on some networks demonstrate, though, that there is still some way to go to encourage a more joined-up approach to solving accessibility issues. Without conductors onboard to assist disabled travellers, there may be parts of the network that are decidedly unfriendly towards wheelchair users in particular. So even if travellers do book in advance, there simply may not be the staff to assist them where necessary.
The issue of booking in advance also takes away the opportunity for spontaneous train journeys for disabled people, further isolating them from the rest of the travelling public.
So, while some steps forward are being made, there is still a lot to do to make sure the entire UK train network is accessible to everyone, regardless of physical ability.
