Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if he will make representations with Northern Rail on improving disabled access in train stations (a) in Blackburn and (b) across the North of England.

The Inclusive Transport Strategy, strategy published on 25 July 2018, included a commitment to extend our Access for All programme across rail Control Period 6 (2019 to 2024) with an additional £300m of funding from the public purse.

We have asked the industry to nominate stations for the new funding by 16 November this year. Nominated stations will be selected based on their annual footfall, weighted by the incidence of disability in the area. We will take into account local factors such as proximity to a hospital or the availability of third party funding for the project. We will also ensure that there is a fair geographical spread of projects across the country.