Disabled folks should have a say in rail reforms, MP says | EUROtoday

The MP mentioned “services that work for those with disabilities work better for everyone, and we urge the Government to put this perennially overlooked issue at the heart of every aspect of its plans to revitalise rail.”

Whitehall officers have been in disaster talks with incapacity campaigners who’ve informed the BBC they’re sad that the federal government has failed to ask views on accessibility inclusion.

One of the pink traces for campaigners is the omission of beforehand promised measures, equivalent to contributions to the federal government’s session, ‘A railway match for Britain’s future’.

The session is on the circumstances beneath which Great British Railways (GBR) – the working identify for Britain’s re-nationalised railway – will function, and campaigners are involved accessibility has been not noted.

In her letter, Cadbury famous that the earlier Conservative authorities’s draft Rail Reform Bill, revealed in February 2024, “included clauses that would have required” GBR to “have regard to the accessibility requirements of persons who are disabled”.

Commenting on Cadbury’s letter, Transport for All CEO Caroline Stickland mentioned “we urge the Government to put accessibility at the heart of rail reforms. This consultation must deliver changes that finally make transport accessible to us all.”

“We are delighted that Ruth Cadbury and the cross-party Transport Committee shares our community’s concerns that proposals in the current rail consultation are too weak.”

The Department for Transport mentioned that “accessibility is a core priority.”

A spokesperson mentioned “any suggestion we are downgrading our existing commitment to accessibility is incorrect.”

“The Rail Minister has met with Transport for All this week, and we urge disability groups to share their views and continue to work with the Department as we create a railway fit for the 21st century.”