Disability rights campaigners and passenger groups have sent an open letter to the Secretary of State, demanding an ‘Accessibility Framework for Great British Railways.’

The letter is an urgent intervention to restore accessibility to the centre of the upcoming Railways Bill, after all of the previous government’s pledges were abandoned. It states: “We write to express our outrage at the removal of accessibility duties from Great British Railways and demand that the government restores these to the centre of the upcoming Railways Bill.”

It also challenges the government’s recent refusal of Parliament’s Transport Select Committee’s request to conduct an overhaul of laws and regulations in this area.

The removal of accessibility duties from Great British Railways threatens to undo years of campaigning by disabled people, and ignores evidence of systemic discrimination across the network. Campaigners are demanding a full ‘Accessibility Framework’ for the new legislation, which should now be considered the minimum expectation for rail reform.

The ‘Accessibility Framework for Great British Railways’ is calling for primary legislation and investment, in which public interest duties are put at the centre of GBR, with an investment fund created for accessible infrastructure and clear deadlines for step-free access at stations.

It calls also for regulatory reform, laying down equality standards for ticket retail and new technologies, guarantees for Turn Up And Go Travel, full staffing model for trains, stations and ticket offices and a National Accessible Travel Policy.

Rights and representation are at the core of the proposals, with a new complaints body for disabled passengers, the creation of a Disabled Persons Transport Advisory Committee which would play the role of statutory advisor and clear legal duties for disabled people to be consulted.

Organisations backing the demands include the Association of British Commuters, National Pensioners Convention, Disabled People Against Cuts, Transport for All, Inclusion London, Get Glasgow Moving, Transport Action Network, TSSA union, We Own It and Bring Back British Rail. Ithas also been signed by Disability Rights UK.

The Framework is also backed by experts in rail accessibility, including: Ann Bates OBE, former government advisor in accessible transport; Anthony Jennings, Co-founder of the Campaign for Level Boarding; Julian Vaughan, Chair of the Bedfordshire Rail Access Network; Doug Paulley, disability rights activist and researcher; Gareth Dennis, rail engineer and writer; Sarah Leadbetter, disability rights activist; and Sarah Gayton, Street Access campaign co-ordinator. A detailed version of the Accessibility Framework is available in the open letter – DOWNLOAD HERE.

Image: The recently installed footbridge and lifts at Westerton Railway Station. https://www.geograph.org.uk/photo/5706070© Copyright Garry Cornes and licensed for reuse under this Creative Commons Licence.Attribution-ShareAlike 2.0 Generic CC BY-SA 2.0 Deed.