Recent revelations highlight significant challenges in Network Rail’s Access for All initiative.
- Board minutes reveal the programme has underperformed significantly over the last five years.
- Efforts to centralise and improve accountability face organisational hurdles.
- Calls for a comprehensive national accessibility strategy are growing.
- Critical voices demand urgent and sustained action to improve rail accessibility.
The Access for All programme by Network Rail, aimed at facilitating step-free access at railway stations, has been described in meeting notes as having ‘significantly underperformed’ during Control Period 6 (2019-2024). This programme was meant to be a major investment in rail infrastructure, yet it hasn’t met its objectives, posing challenges for the upcoming Control Period 7.
Peter Hendy, former chair of Network Rail and now rail minister, was leading the board meeting in May 2024 where these concerns were raised. The minutes detail the underperformance of the Access for All programme, which has struggled to deliver widespread improvements due to its fragmented implementation across Network Rail’s five regions.
Rob Cairns, acting on behalf of the Executive Leadership Team, has been tasked with addressing these issues by creating a unified Access for All programme team within each region, tasked with accountability and local sponsorship. Furthermore, a new national Access for All Portfolio Sponsorship Office is being developed to simplify governance and ensure a coherent strategy moving forward.
Criticism has not only come from within. Disability campaigners have vocally called for a more structured and overarching accessibility strategy. The recent case of Paralympian Tanni Grey-Thompson, who had to ‘crawl off’ a train, underscores the urgent need for industry-wide change. Campaigner Gareth Dennis expressed his frustration at the lack of progress, attributing it to the absence of strategic direction and leadership commitment.
In support of improved rail accessibility, a spokesperson from Disability Rights UK highlighted that the majority of the UK’s rail stations, still based on Victorian infrastructure, lack step-free access. They emphasised that improvements must be coupled with adequate human resources and clear communication about new access facilities for disabled passengers.
Adding to the urgency, a report by Omio in February 2024 marked the UK’s rail services among the least accessible in Europe, citing alarmingly inadequate measures for passengers with disabilities. Despite appointing AtkinsRéalis to conduct an accessibility audit over two years ago, the results have not been disclosed, adding to concerns over transparency and accountability.
The pressing need for a comprehensive reform in rail accessibility is clear, as stakeholders call for immediate and effective action.
