Julian welcomes the development of new National Rail app following passenger assistance concerns
June 20, 2019
Yesterday, Julian met with representatives of the the Rail Delivery Group at an event in Parliament which showcased the work the rail industry is doing to change and improve the network to make it more accessible. This includes a new Passenger Assist App, set to be introduced next year, which will help to give passengers more control over their journey.
It follows on from meetings that Julian has held in recent weeks with representatives of all three major rail companies serving York (Northern, First Group and LNER) in which he raised concerns about the lack of communication between stations and operators when helping passengers who have requested travel assistance.
In addition to the app, the industry recently launched a new interactive ‘Access Map’ to make it easier for passengers to find out at a glance how accessible their local station is. Since 2006, the rail industry has delivered £500 million of improvements at stations, with £300 million of additional funding from government to make 73 more stations accessible by 2024.
Speaking after the event Julian said:
“Several constituents have approached me recently to raise concerns about the accessibility of local stations and the effectiveness of passenger assistance for longer journeys involving several operators. Today’s event shows the rail industry is working hard to improve accessibility across the country and make the railway easier for everyone to use. I’m pleased to work with the rail companies to raise awareness of the new interactive Access Map as well as the Passenger Assist App, which I hope will start to make a real difference in improving the experience of passengers in York.”
Speaking at the event Transport Minster Nusrat Ghani said:
“We are absolutely committed to improving the experience of disabled passengers across our network. Working alongside the Rail Delivery Group and Disabled Persons Transport Advisory Committee, we are currently reviewing the eligibility criteria of the Disabled Persons Railcard, looking at how we can improve provisions for carers or companions. We also recently announced the 73 stations receiving a share of £300m of Access for All funding, as we work towards an entirely accessible transport network by 2030 with assistance if physical infrastructure remains a barrier.”
