Bill’s duty to support disabled passengers ‘too vague’, says campaign group

A statutory duty set out in the Railways Bill for ministers and public bodies to promote the needs of disabled passengers is “too vague” and must be strengthened, a campaign group has told MPs.

At a Transport Committee hearing, Emma Vogelmann, co-chief executive of the disabled people’s organisation Transport for All (TfA), told MPs that the duty’s wording was “very vague” and “too unenforceable” and “doesn’t guarantee improvements  for disabled passengers”, despite the “desperate change that is needed in terms of accessibility”.

TfA wanted the Bill strengthened so there was a duty to “actively and continuously improve accessibility across the rail network” and ensure there are “measurable outcomes” that show what progress is being made every year, said Vogelmann.

The Bill says that ministers, Great British Railways (GBR) and the Office of Rail and Road (ORR) will have a duty to carry out their roles – alongside other statutory duties – in “the manner best calculated to promote the interests of users  and potential users of railway passenger services including, in particular, the needs of disabled persons”.

But Vogelmann told the MPs the legislation should “make sure that accessibility is enforceable and that it is an over-riding, consistent priority for Great British Railways as opposed to at the moment where we feel it is potentially not  given enough enforcement power and it is subject to political will in some instances”.

She said the current wording of the duty was “almost purposefully vague”, which risked perpetuating the “tick box” culture and lack of meaningful action on accessibility across the rail system.