Henry Smith MP has joined forces with the rail industry to encourage more disabled people in Crawley to travel by train using the Disabled Persons Railcard, which offers a third off journeys.
Henry supported a parliamentary event on accessibility and inclusion in rail, hosted by the Rail Delivery Group, which represents train operators and Network Rail. The event showcased the work the rail industry is doing to change and improve the network to make it more accessible. This includes enabling disabled people to make more discounted journeys with the Disabled Persons Railcard.
Last year 48,039 journeys starting from Crawley stations were made using the Railcard, up from 33,728 in 2015. This compares to a 43 per cent increase across the country as a whole, with Disabled Persons Railcard journeys rising from 5 million in 2015 to 7 million in 2019.
Henry said;
“Everyone in Crawley should have the opportunity to travel by train and this event shows how the rail industry is working to improve accessibility across the country and make the railway easier for everyone to use.
“I'm pleased to raise awareness of the discounts offered by the Disabled Persons Railcard and hope more people will benefit from big savings that can be made.”
The Disabled Persons Railcard offers a third off adult rail fares at any time on the National Rail network for people with a disability, plus a companion. On average, passengers with the Disabled Persons Railcard save £108 a year, even after the £20 cost of the card is factored in.
The rise in accessible journeys reflects the work rail companies are doing to make services more accessible. 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. The industry is also working together to improve passenger assistance bookings, with new technology currently being rolled out for staff and a customer app launching next summer to make bookings easier.
Since 2006, the rail industry has delivered £500 million of improvements at stations including making them more accessible, with £300 million of additional funding from Government to make 73 more stations accessible by 2024.
Nusrat Ghani MP, the Transport Minister, commented;
“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 £300 million of Access for All funding, as we work towards an entirely accessible transport network by 2030 with assistance if physical infrastructure remains a barrier.”
Jac Starr, Chief Operating Officer at the Rail Delivery Group, added;
“We're working hard to improve the railway, making more stations step-free and adding thousands of new and refurbished carriages which are more accessible. While record numbers of people are saving money with the Disabled Persons Railcard, we want everyone to benefit from the improvements we’re making which is why we're encouraging eligible disabled people to sign up for a card and save on their journeys.”
