Rail Minister, Lord , said:
"For too long, disabled people have faced barriers on our
railway, but today marks a turning point. I'm proud to launch our
Accessibility Roadmap, which is a practical plan to deliver real,
measurable change, ahead of the establishment of Great British
Railways.
"Accessibility will be one of GBR's key priorities, but we're not
waiting for GBR to be set up – we're taking action now: improving
the reliability of station lifts and escalators by introducing
better maintenance, status reporting, and a standardised lift
design; expanding eligibility for the Disabled Persons Railcard;
and improving on-the-ground support for disabled passengers –
including planning for the wider rollout of Welcome Points across
the network.
"Crucially, the Roadmap isn't something we've dreamt up alone –
it builds on years of engagement with disabled people. The
experiences of passengers like Gemma, Neil, Danny and Simon,
whose stories are featured in a new video to mark the launch, are
at the heart of this plan.
"We know there is more work to do, but the Roadmap lays the
foundations for a longer-term transformation under GBR, because
an accessible railway isn't just better for disabled people –
it's better for us all, and this is the start of building one
together."
Notes to editors
- Please see the full Accessibility Roadmap here.
- You can find more information about the Railways Bill, which
will create Great British Railways, here.
- Improvements in the Roadmap include:
- Expanded eligibility criteria for the Disabled Persons
Railcard;
- Roll-out of Welcome Points at stations, to provide clear
and consistent help;
- More Access for All upgrades and a dedicated fund to fix
day to day issues like signage, seating;
- Improvements to the Passenger Assist programme, with a
standardised industry training package;
- Development of a new rolling stock and infrastructure
strategy, which will include a clear commitment to expand
independent and level boarding opportunities;
- Expanding real time information availability of live
information on key facilities at stations so people can plan
and adapt;
- 360 tours and virtual navigation tools of the most complex
to navigate stations;
- A new industry British Sign Language (BSL) service
providing real time information.
