Asked by: Caroline Lucas (Green Party - Brighton, Pavilion)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if he will make it his policy to allocate additional funding to improve disability access at (a) Moulsecoomb, (b) Preston Park Road and (c) other railway stations that did not receive funding under the last round of Access for All programme funding; and if he will make a statement.
Answered by Chris Heaton-Harris
We are in the process of setting the funding envelopes for the next rail control period (2024-29). When further funding is available, any station without an accessible route into the station and to all platforms will be a potential candidate.
Further measures to improve rail accessibility were included in the recent rail reform White Paper.
Asked by: Andrea Jenkyns (Conservative - Morley and Outwood)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps his Department is taking to increase disability access at train stations in (a) Morley and Outwood constituency and (b) West Yorkshire.
Answered by Chris Heaton-Harris
Several stations across Yorkshire were selected for the Access for All Main Tier programme, including Menston, Todmorden and Garforth stations. Works are due to be completed at these stations by 2024 at the latest.
We will shortly be commissioning accessibility audits of all mainline stations that will allow us to prioritise future investment in station accessibility.
Asked by: Andrea Jenkyns (Conservative - Morley and Outwood)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps his Department is taking to improve the safety of train stations for people with disabilities.
Answered by Chris Heaton-Harris
The Department is committed to improving safety across the rail network. The Department expects the industry to meet current accessibility requirements whenever it installs, renews or replaces station infrastructure. Failure to do so can lead to enforcement action by the Office of Rail and Roads.
As well as the programme of accessibility improvements underway, we shall be bidding for further rounds of funding for Access for All schemes in the forthcoming Spending Review.
Asked by: Matthew Offord (Conservative - Hendon)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps his Department is taking to improve access at railway stations for disabled people.
Answered by Chris Heaton-Harris
In addition to the measures set out in the recent rail reform White Paper, I will be bidding for further rounds of funding for Access for All schemes in the forthcoming Spending Review.
Mill Hill Broadway is currently in development with work due to complete by 2024 at the latest.
Asked by: Tanmanjeet Singh Dhesi (Labour - Slough)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps he plans to take to increase the number of train stations in England with step free access.
Answered by Chris Heaton-Harris
The Government has committed to spend £350million on providing step free access to more stations by 2024. We will shortly commission audits of all mainline stations to prioritise future investment in station accessibility, and further measures will be included in the forthcoming rail reform White Paper.
Asked by: Sarah Olney (Liberal Democrat - Richmond Park)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if his Department will ensure that the decision making process for new and transferred trains includes an assessment to ensure that step gaps at stations are not increased as a result of those trains.
Answered by Chris Heaton-Harris
When introducing new or cascaded trains, it is a matter for operators to undertake risk assessments at each station to ensure that platforms conform to relevant standards before the trains are approved for entry into service. The platforms have to pass a design test and a practical physical test, demonstrating compliance.
Asked by: Colleen Fletcher (Labour - Coventry North East)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what proportion of railway stations have step-free access.
Answered by Chris Heaton-Harris
Around a fifth of our stations have step free access to all platforms; accounting for around 75% of journeys. We are determined to improve this and our Access for All programme is providing accessible routes at over 100 more stations in the next three years. This is in addition to accessibility improvements provided by the industry whenever they install, replace or renew station infrastructure. Information on the facilities available at railway stations is collected and held by the Rail Delivery Group and published on their website.
Asked by: Tanmanjeet Singh Dhesi (Labour - Slough)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what recent assessment he has made of the passenger experience of the Turn Up and Go assistance service.
Answered by Chris Heaton-Harris
All train stations in the UK offer a Turn-Up and Go assistance service. Passengers can turn up at any station that they have identified as accessible to them and request assistance on to a train from a member of staff, or via a help point or a Freephone number – either this will be provided or, where reasonably practicable, alternative accessible transport offered at no extra cost to the passenger.
Research conducted by the Office of Rail and Road in 2017 showed that 72% of passengers who participated in the ‘mystery shopper’ exercise of turn-up-and-go services were satisfied with their journey experience and the quality of assistance they received.
Asked by: Tanmanjeet Singh Dhesi (Labour - Slough)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what proportion of train stations in the UK offer a Turn Up and Go assistance service for disabled passengers.
Answered by Chris Heaton-Harris
All train stations in the UK offer a Turn-Up and Go assistance service. Passengers can turn up at any station that they have identified as accessible to them and request assistance on to a train from a member of staff, or via a help point or a Freephone number – either this will be provided or, where reasonably practicable, alternative accessible transport offered at no extra cost to the passenger.
Research conducted by the Office of Rail and Road in 2017 showed that 72% of passengers who participated in the ‘mystery shopper’ exercise of turn-up-and-go services were satisfied with their journey experience and the quality of assistance they received.
Asked by: Richard Fuller (Conservative - North Bedfordshire)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, pursuant to the Answer of 27 April 2020 to Questions 34321 and 38037, when the audit trail which his Department is undertaking with the Rail Delivery Group to identify and validate whether the information on station classification contained in the access map is accurate will be completed; and when changes resulting from that audit trail are planned to be implemented.
Answered by Chris Heaton-Harris
The Department is not undertaking any audit work with the Rail Delivery Group. We are currently trialling some accessibility audits on a small number of stations which if successful will better inform our accessibility investment decisions in the future. This is due to complete in the autumn. The Rail Delivery Group remain responsible for ensuring the accessibility data on the National Rail Enquiries website remains accurate and up to date.