Ministers listen to disabled campaigners and return key accessibility duty to railways bill

Samantha Fletcher

The government has responded to pressure from disabled campaigners by reinstating a statutory “passenger and accessibility” duty into the Railways Bill — a win for campaigners who earlier condemned the removal of accessibility obligations from the proposed reforms. Disability News Service+1 Under the revised bill, the new publicly-owned rail body Great British Railways (GBR), government ministers, and the national rail regulator must consider the needs of disabled passengers (and all rail users) when making decisions about rail services and infrastructure. Disability News Service+1 Alongside legislative changes, a new “roadmap to an accessible railway” promises concrete improvements: from better-maintained lifts and escalators, more reliable assistance services, expanded eligibility for the Disabled Persons Railcard, enhanced staff training, and greater transparency about station accessibility. Disability News Service+1 While campaigners and disabled-persons organisations welcomed the shift, many emphasised that these commitments must translate into real, measurable improvements — especially in funding, infrastructure upgrades (like step-free and level-boarding access), and the establishment of robust accountability mechanisms.

https://www.disabilitynewsservice.com/ministers-listen-to-disabled-campaigners-and-return-key-accessibility-duty-to-railways-bill/