How rail suppliers are improving accessibility across the network

The report, titled ‘The Journey to Equality: Creating a Railway for All’, has a foreword from Baroness Tanni Grey-Thompson DBE, Life Peer and former Paralympic Athlete, who recognises that whilst the report is an opportunity to highlight the challenges disabled people face, it also has readily available solutions from suppliers that can be implemented to improve accessibility and the journeys of countless individuals.  

The paper has five key asks:

1. People directly impacted by decisions should have a direct say in those decisions.
2. Reform and fast-track the programme delivering station accessibility improvements.
3. Mandate digital accessibility and data transparency.
4. Create a railway culture built on respect and helpfulness, where the focus is on ensuring everybody’s journey is important.
5. Mandate inclusive and accessible onboard facilities.

Commenting on the report, RIA Technical & Innovation Director Richard Carr said: “For the past three years, RIA has published a series of leadership reports on the topics of Innovation, Data and Digital Technologies, and Rail Retail, at the RIA Innovation Conference. The latest report, ‘The Journey to Equality: Creating a Railway for All’, builds upon these previous publications and addresses the disparities experienced by those accessing the rail network. We hope that this report helps guide the industry towards delivering a more inclusive and accessible transport system for all.”

The full report can be found here.

We interviewed Sam Bemment, Technical and Innovation Advisor at RIA and author of the “Creating a Railway for All” report about the inspiration behind it, which you can read here.