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Home > News > All parties must commit to restoring Access for All funds
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All parties must commit to restoring Access for All funds

Transport for All

On the 28th April 2017, Transport for All protested at eight inaccessible stations across London, calling on all parties to commit to restoring funds...

On the 28th April 2017, Transport for All protested at eight inaccessible stations across London, calling on all parties to commit to restoring funds for Rail Access projects in the city.

The eight stations were promised step-free upgrades as part of the Network Rail Access for All scheme. However, £50m worth of funding for the scheme has now been deferred – delaying nearly two thirds of London’s Access for All projects by up to five years.

Britain was found to have one of the least accessible rail networks in Europe by a recent Commission report; with just 1/5 stations having step-free access.

The protest were lead by our fantastic volunteer-organisers Anahita Harding, Jamie McCormick, Paula Peters, Alan Benson and Jeff Harvey and supported by partner organisations across the city (such as LDC, Bromley XbyX).

Protesters collected hundreds of petition signatures, calling on the new Government to reverse the decision to defer funding for Access for All. 

 

Alan Benson, Chair of Transport for All (1) says: “The current state of rail access in the UK simply isn’t acceptable. All the parties must commit to restoring Access for All funding, and ensuring that our railways are open to everyone.“

“Disabled and older people can’t be expected to defer their lives for another five years while accessibility funding is raided to plug holes elsewhere in the Network Rail budget.“
Paula Peters who will be protesting at St Mary Cray and Petts Wood stations says: “As a Disabled person I am shut out of the vast majority of Britain’s railway stations. Having to make 40 minute bus journeys to catch the train when I live next door to a railway station is frustrating and isolating.““I’ve fought for years to secure step free funding at Petts Wood station, I was devastated when I heard it could be delayed by another five years.“

The protests are part of Transport for All’s Rail Access Now campaign. Earlier this month the campaign took to the street demanding that Southern Rail reverse its decision to withdraw Turn up and Go assistance from at least 33 stations across their network.

Sign the petition

For those who weren’t able to make it to the protest there are still plenty of ways you can help the campaign.

  • Sign our petition, calling on the Government to restore the deferred Access for All funding, and commit to continuing the project beyond 2019
  • Tweet your experiences using #RailAccessNow
  • Share your stories – email catherine@transportforall.org.uk with your rail experiences
A man standing in front of a painted brick wall smiling at the camera. He is holding a cane and is wearing glasses, a black jacket and a grey t-shirt. A man standing in front of a painted brick wall smiling at the camera. He is holding a cane and is wearing glasses, a black jacket and a grey t-shirt.

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