Passengers who rely on assistance when travelling with Northern
Trains should see improvements to the service over time, after
the Office of Rail and Road (ORR) secured commitments from the
operator to ensure staff receive disability awareness training
and to provide a £550,000 additional package of measures.
Northern Trains is currently working on resolving the concerns
about their failure to provide disability awareness training for
front-line staff, highlighted by the regulator's investigation,
with most of these improvements expected to be completed by the
end of March 2026.
ORR also accepted the operator's package of additional measures,
which are predominantly targeted at further improving disability
awareness training. The rail regulator said it would work with
Northern Trains on the detail of the measures, worth an estimated
£550,000.
ORR's investigation was prompted by ongoing concerns about the
operator's compliance with commitments to provide
passenger-facing staff with disability awareness training. The
issue was identified when Northern Trains reported in August 2025
that around 800 of its passenger-facing staff had not received
disability awareness training.
In the course of ORR's investigation, the regulator established
there were significant historic gaps in training for Northern
Trains' passenger-facing station staff, with inadequate
management oversight and record-keeping. ORR noted that Northern
took steps to significantly close the training gap in Autumn
2025.
Northern Trains' breach of its licence obligations is considered
ongoing until there is assurance that the training gap is fully
resolved and the improvement plan is delivered. ORR will
report on Northern's progress after the end of July 2026.
Stephanie Tobyn, ORR's director of strategy, policy and
reform, said:
“Our investigation found that Northern Trains failed to meet its
public commitment to provide training to existing staff at least
every two years, falling short of the basic standard of service
that disabled passengers rely on. Staff training is essential to
delivering an accessible railway, and the failings we identified
highlight the need for strong management oversight and
accountability.
“Northern Trains has, however, acknowledged these failings, taken
steps to address them, and committed to further improvements and
reparations that should make a meaningful difference for
passengers. Securing lasting changes to training, governance and
passenger support will deliver greater public benefit than us
imposing a financial penalty, and we will continue to monitor
Northern Trains closely to ensure these commitments are fully
delivered.”
Notes to editors
-
ORR investigation into
Northern Trains Limited
-
Decision letter for
Northern Trains
-
Legal notice
- Northern Trains has breached and is still in breach of
Condition 5 (Accessible Travel Policy) of its Station Licence and
GB Statement of National Regulatory Provisions: Passenger.
However, ORR does not need to issue an order under section 55 of
the Railways Act 1993 because Northern Trains has agreed to, and
is already taking, the necessary steps to meet its commitments on
disability awareness training. Given the actions Northern Trains
is already taking, its reliance on public funding, and the
reparations, worth around £550,000, it has proposed, a financial
penalty is not warranted
- All operators must set out, and comply with, commitments to
provide Disability Awareness training for staff in their
Accessible Travel Policy (ATP) which is underpinned by Condition
5 of the Station Licence and GB Statement of National Regulatory
Principles (SNRP): Passenger obligations.
