The Disabled Persons Transport Advisory Committee (DPTAC) has released its comments for the Williams Shapps Plan for Rail consultation — welcoming Great British Railways in the hope it can make rail more accessible.
The body considers itself an objective “critical friend” of the government and as such shared opinion in its answers on the current situation regarding disabled passengers.
It said that currently the “lack of a coherent, long-term strategy for improving the accessibility of the rail network defined and managed by a single guiding mind has been a major obstacle to delivering a more accessible railway.”
It says this has been made worse by “an often uncoordinated or partially coordinated approach to the implementation of initiatives to improve accessibility”.
As a consequence the railways are inaccessible to many disabled people, it says. Particularly of note it adds “the approach to accessibility is inconsistent across the rail network and practices that are essentially discriminatory allowed to continue unchallenged.”
As such its says it “strongly” welcomes the concept of GBR – saying that it could deliver “fundamental improvements” should it be held clearly accountable. “Clear accountability for GBR in this respect will allow it to be challenged and held to account by the ORR, as well as disabled people and their representative organisations,” it says.
0113 2082620
info@railbusinessdaily.com
15 Mariner Court, Wakefield WF4 3FL
