Context
The question pertains to the limited accessibility of railway stations in Greater Manchester, where only 40% of stations have step-free access compared to a regional average of 63% and national average of 61%. Mayor Andy Burnham has proposed full accessibility by 2025, supported by Leonard Cheshire's report suggesting 1-3% annual transport spending is required.
Question
What steps are being taken to improve accessibility for people with physical and hidden disabilities who use the rail network? Only 40% of railway stations in Greater Manchester have step-free access—that is 38 out of 93 stations. This is significantly lower than the north-west region as a whole, which is at 63%, and the national average at 61%. Mayor Andy Burnham has called for all railway stations in Greater Manchester to be fully accessible by 2025.
Answer from Chris Heaton-Harris
We are spending hundreds of millions of pounds on improving our network and continue to do so. I met with the chief executive of Network Rail yesterday to discuss how we can speed up the delivery of elements of our accessibility programme.
Not addressed: Specific steps, funding amounts, timelines for full accessibility by 2025 were not provided.
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