Commons Sense

Hansard-based summaries and metrics

Rail Network Accessibility for Disabled People 2020-10-22

2020-10-22

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Response quality

Questions & Answers

Q1 Direct Answer
Florence Eshalomi Lab Co-op
Vauxhall and Camberwell Green
▸ Context
The question arises from the need to improve accessibility at railway stations, particularly addressing challenges faced by disabled individuals.
What steps he is taking to improve accessibility for disabled people using the rail network?
Chris Heaton-Harris
The Government have recently made £350 million available to make accessibility improvements at a further 209 stations through the Access for All programme, ramping up provision across the country. We also require the industry to comply with current accessibility standards whenever they install, replace or renew station infrastructure.
▸ Assessment & feedback
Response accuracy
Q2 Partial Answer
Navendu Mishra Lab
Stockport
▸ Context
The MP highlights the current situation where nearly 40% of British stations lack step-free access. He mentions planned updates but raises concerns about the slow pace of improvements, estimating full accessibility until 2070.
Currently, nearly 40% of stations in Britain do not have step-free access. Some upgrades are planned for Davenport and Heaton Chapel stations in my constituency of Stockport, but if updates to stations continue at this rate, our rail network will not be fully accessible until 2070, so what plans does the Minister have to ensure that more trains and platforms are made accessible?
Chris Heaton-Harris
I thank the hon. Gentleman for his question, because, as he knows, much of our station infrastructure is Victorian and therefore not accessible to many disabled passengers, and it is a huge shame that it is taking a long time to rectify that. Only around a fifth of stations have step-free access to and between all platforms, although 75% of journeys are through step-free stations, compared with 50% in 2005. However, there is a lot more to do, and we have an ambitious target to get this all sorted as quickly as possible.
▸ Assessment & feedback
The MP sought specific plans to accelerate accessibility improvements but the Minister's response was vague about timelines and did not provide concrete details on how the pace would be increased.
It Is Taking A Long Time To Rectify That We Have An Ambitious Target
Response accuracy