Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if she will make it her policy to require train operating companies to guarantee that rail replacement services will be accessible for disabled passengers.

Rail replacement services operated by train operating companies must meet the needs of disabled passengers. This includes using vehicles compliant with the Public Service Vehicles Accessibility Regulations 2000 (PSVAR). The train operators can only use non-PSVAR compliant vehicles when no compliant vehicle is available under the current exemption which will expire in July 2026. The Office of Rail and Road (ORR) collects data on the levels of compliance with the PSVAR from the train operators. The ORR’s Annual Consumer Report for 2024/2025 showed that 96 per cent of rail replacement vehicles met required standards.