Lack of disabled access criticised as Wolverhampton train station work puts lift out of action
A lack of step-free access at Wolverhampton railway station while a lift is out of action has been branded "unacceptable" by a charity.
Network Rail said the lift on Platform 1 is currently undergoing a £250,000 renovation which is due to be finished in late April.
The work, which started on January 11, means there is no step-free access to platforms two, three or four, which has led to criticism.
Passengers have been advised by Network Rail to travel to Birmingham New Street or Smethwick Galton Bridge for step-free access.
Gemma Hope, director of policy at disability charity Leonard Cheshire, said: "This is an unacceptable situation for disabled travellers who will find their ability to live, learn and earn severely compromised.
"Disabled rail users we’ve spoken to have had mixed experiences of assisted travel and to suggest alternative stations 18 and 13 miles away respectively for a three month period will affect livelihoods and quality of life."
More than 20 per cent of disabled people feel isolated and have had their mental health negatively impacted because of inaccessible transport, research from Leonard Cheshire showed.
Further data from the Government, dating from January 2019, showed a total of 67 per cent of train stations in the West Midlands have step-free access to platforms.
Tom Wadsworth, senior asset engineer for buildings at Network Rail, said: "We’re sorry to passengers impacted by our essential lift modernisation work at Wolverhampton station to make step-free access to platforms more reliable in the future.
"When we carry out station lift upgrades, we try to find alternative step-free access for people however we can.
"Sometimes it means passengers may need to use the closest station nearby with working lifts instead. For people who book assisted travel taxis are then arranged for them to complete the rest of their journey.
"Unfortunately, the lift replacement work is complex and takes many weeks to complete. For that reason, we aim to give as much advance notice of the work to passengers as possible."
Network Rail North West and Central had completed a disability impact statement for West Midlands Trains Stakeholder Equality Group – and acted on feedback before the project started.
Railway chiefs also entered into a legal agreement with the Equalities and Human Rights Commission in January over failing to make reasonable adjustments for disabled passengers.
It concerned a lift refurbishment at Manchester Victoria station – and involved failing to fill in a Disability Impact Assessment and a lack of consultation with disabled groups.
Felix Schmid, professor emeritus of railway systems engineering at the University of Birmingham, said: "[A train station’s alternative arrangements] would be unacceptable if you make a journey impossible, or if you add so much time to the journey that it’s no longer viable.
"If you say to people that their train journey would become two hours instead of twenty minutes, but [the station operators] would put them in an accessible car for the whole journey then yes it's not ideal - it doesn't give the person the freedom they would like, but the journey can be made in relative comfort and a reasonable amount of time."
Network Rail is asking passengers who need to travel whilst the lift is out of order to plan their journey in advance. People can book assisted travel through www.wmr.uk/assistance or by calling 0800 024 8998.
By Alfie Thomas
