30-year wait for rail improvements shows “staggering lack of urgency” - Helen

North Shropshire MP, Helen Morgan, has hit out at a “staggering lack of urgency” after Ministers refused to back amendments to the Railways Bill designed to improve accessibility.

Helen supported a series of changes to the Bill aimed at strengthening accessibility requirements for passengers currently unable to use large parts of the rail network.

These included measures to improve step-free access at stations such as Whitchurch, something Helen has long-campaigned for.

But the Government rejected the proposals this week, arguing that a requirement to deliver step-free access within a fixed timeframe would ‘reduce flexibility’, pointing instead to a long-term strategy spanning up to thirty years.

Helen Morgan, MP for North Shropshire, said: “The Government’s response will be deeply disappointing to disabled passengers and everybody who believes our railways should be accessible now, not in thirty years.

“For somebody unable to access a station today, being told that improvements might happen over the next three decades is frankly absurd. People need to see family, attend appointments and live independent lives.”

Helen said the response to the amendments, in the form of a letter from Rail Minister, Lord Hendy, was “a textbook example of kicking the can down the road”.

She added: “Ministers admit there is a problem but refuse to commit to fixing it within any meaningful timescale.”

The letter argued that ministers needed ‘flexibility’ to decide where accessibility funding should go and claimed other measures, such as assisted travel services, could help passengers in some circumstances.

Hitting out in response, Helen added: “This fundamentally misses the point. Disabled people should not have to rely on patchwork arrangements or assistance that may or may not be available. Step-free access is basic infrastructure that gives people freedom and dignity.

“It is extraordinary that Ministers appear more concerned about preserving flexibility in Whitehall than giving passengers certainty that barriers on the railway will finally be removed.”

Helen has repeatedly raised concerns about Whitchurch station, where passengers with accessibility needs wanting to travel south have to first catch a train north, only to change trains at the next station to return south.

This week, Helen also met with Transport for Wales and Network Rail in a further bid to find a solution to the accessibility issues.

On Wednesday night the Government voted down a Liberal Democrat amendment to introduce a Rail Passengers Charter, which would improve punctuality, guarantee better seating availability, provide reliable Wi-Fi, and ensure clean toilets on trains. The proposals also called for stronger accountability for train operating companies – for when standards are not met.