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The government is to investigate claims that rail companies are using “mystery shoppers” who are pretending to be disabled as a way of providing data on the accessibility of their services. One campaigner said the concerns could have “huge consequences” for […]
Figures passed to the rail regulator by train companies have repeatedly inflated the success of the industry’s pre-booked passenger assistance service, potentially adding weight to the push to close ticket offices and cut station staff. The data showed the number of […]
The information commissioner has backed the government’s refusal to release its assessment of how plans to close nearly 1,000 ticket offices across England would have affected disabled people and other groups protected under the Equality Act. The Information Commissioner’s Office ruled […]
The right of disabled people to enjoy spontaneous travel on the rail network is under “serious threat” because of the planned closure of nearly 1,000 ticket offices across England, campaigners warned this week. One disabled activist warned that the time for […]
The equality watchdog has taken action under the Equality Act against both the Department for Transport (DfT) and the rail regulator over concerns that cuts and reforms to train services are making the network ever more inaccessible. So far, the Equality […]
The UK’s largest rail operator has admitted that it has been breaching access laws for more than 10 years across large parts of its rail network, a leaked document has revealed. The Govia Thameslink Railway (GTR) document shows the company* has […]
Publication of a report that called on ministers to invest billions of pounds in removing access barriers to the rail system was delayed by the government for nearly a year, emails released under the Freedom of Information Act have revealed. The […]
The rail regulator is investigating why an industry body appears to have tried to ensure all assisted travel bookings for disabled passengers were cancelled during Storm Eunice in February. Even though many rail services continued through the storm on 18 February, […]
Rail operators across the country are being investigated by their regulator after a series of concerns about potentially fatal safety flaws in the use of the ramps used to allow wheelchair-users to board trains. Disability News Service (DNS) has this week […]
New rules published by the rail regulator could push the industry to take the need to provide accessible rail replacement vehicles more seriously, but they have been branded “too little, too late” by a leading disabled campaigner. The Office of Rail […]