Great British Railways accessibility roadmap to expand eligibility for Disabled Persons Railcard
Landmark legislation that will transform Britain’s railways was introduced, paving the way for a simpler, more reliable network, which puts passengers before profits and improves services for disabled passengers.
The Railways Bill, which was laid in Parliament last week, will create Great British Railways (GBR) a new publicly owned company, which will bring together the management of passenger services and rail infrastructure.
GBR will be accountable to passengers, freight customers and taxpayers and will drive a relentless focus on responding to their needs. Responsible for coordinating the whole network: from track and train, to cost and revenue, GBR will deliver lasting change.
GBR, which will be headquartered in Derby, will create a simpler, more unified railway that delivers easier journeys and offers better value for money. This will include a new one-stop-shop app where passengers can check train times and book tickets.
The Railways Bill will also establish a strengthened passenger watchdog, which will be a powerful new voice to investigate poor service and advocate for improvements.
Rail reform is a cornerstone of the government’s Plan for Change, with GBR working hand in hand with the government’s missions to drive growth and opportunity, such as housebuilding, creating jobs and boosting productivity.
Transport Secretary Heidi Alexander said: “Britain deserves a railway that is fit for the future – one that rebuilds the trust of its passengers, regenerates its communities and restores reliability and value for money.
“The introduction of this legislation is a major step towards a rail network that supports Britain’s businesses and delivers for the travelling public – paving the way for economic growth and access to opportunity across the country.”
Passengers are currently at the mercy of a complex rail system of over 17 different organisations, resulting in complex fares, delayed upgrades, disjointed timetables and an industry with no single authority in charge.
The Railways Bill builds on the government’s public ownership programme, which is already driving improved services. Southeastern and LNER are among the top five operators nationally for lowest cancellation rates.
South Western Railway has more than tripled the number of new trains in service since entering public ownership, offering more comfortable journeys and passengers can now use tickets across publicly owned operators during cancellations, at no extra cost.
Major changes in the bill include a strengthened passenger watchdog, which will act as passengers’ champion and create a better, more inclusive railway for all. The watchdog will have powers to investigate poor service and demand improvements as well as ensuring passengers have a clear and accessible service to escalate their complaints.
The Railways Bill will also empower GBR to bring fares and ticketing into the 21st century. Passengers will ultimately be able to purchase tickets through a new GBR website and app, replacing 14 existing operator ticketing platforms. Tickets will be available to purchase at station ticket offices, via ticket vending machines and onboard trains, to ensure all passengers can purchase a ticket with ease and travel with confidence. GBR will also build on the expansion of successful Pay As You Go and fares trials, making travel more flexible and simpler.
The Bill will additionally include better business planning, placing a duty on GBR to grow rail freight, meaning freight operators will benefit from a longer-term strategic approach to planning, including a new capacity allocation and timetabling process. This longer-term certainty for businesses will give critical stability to the railway’s supply chain and increase investor confidence and support the growth of the sector.
In addition, the Railways Bill will give the devolved governments and England’s mayors a new role and a bigger say in how the railway is run in their patch to improve local connectivity.
In a further move to improve services for all passengers, the government will publish the accessibility roadmap. The roadmap provides immediate actions to improve services for disabled passengers in the lead up to GBR’s establishment.
Commitments in the roadmap include expanded eligibility criteria for the Disabled Persons Railcard, planning for the wider rollout of ‘welcome points’ across the network, more consistent training for staff and improvements on installing and maintaining key infrastructure, like lifts and escalators, so that people can travel with confidence.
Transport Committee Chair Ruth Cadbury MP said: “It’s great to see the publication of the Government’s Accessibility Roadmap for the railway today. This is something we’ve been looking forward to eagerly since it was promised in the Government’s response to our Access Denied report on transport accessibility – a report which emphasised the barriers posed by both inadequate infrastructure and services for disabled travellers on the network. We argued then that a long-term plan with concrete timescales was imperative.
“We will take a close look at the roadmap and its implementation to ensure that it delivers on this need. There is a lot to welcome: plans to reform the Access for All programme, acknowledgement of the importance of level boarding, and an emphasis on working with disabled people. We’re also glad that a range of needs – such as those of neurodivergent passengers – are recognised, and that alongside practical measures like improving ticketing, broader cultural change is on the agenda.
“We are conscious, however, that funding needs to be equal to the scale of the challenge. We will be looking closely in the future at whether the roadmap’s ambitions transform the experience of getting around on the rails in practice.
“As well as changing the physical environment of railway stations and the passenger experience, our Access Denied report called for overarching reform to the regulation and enforcement of disabled people’s rights to travel. We will continue to press the Government to rise to this ambition.”
Ben Plowden, Chief Executive of Campaign for Better Transport, said: “An accessible, affordable and reliable rail network integrated with the wider transport system is key to delivering sustainable economic growth and improving regional productivity.
“Today marks another important step on the road to realising this vision and delivering a railway that works for passengers, freight operators and the country as a whole.
“We look forward to working with the government, MPs and the rail industry over the coming months to make sure this bill provides the right foundation for a reformed railway.”
The Office of Rail and Road recently made it mandatory for all rail operators to assess redress claims from passengers whose booked assistance failed, on a case-by-case basis.
