A new initiative has been launched to enhance disability training for rail staff across the UK, with the aim of making train travel more accessible and inclusive for disabled passengers. The Motability Foundation has awarded grant funding to the Royal National Institute of Blind People (RNIB) and Community Rail Network to develop and pilot innovative training models.
The two-year project, titled ‘On track for inclusive train travel: a model for engaging disabled people with rail workforce culture change’, comes in response to research conducted by the Motability Foundation in 2023. This research highlighted that insufficient staff assistance is a significant barrier for many disabled people using public transport, particularly when travelling by train.
The project will focus on improving communication and assistance skills among rail staff. It will begin with research into existing training programmes and the experiences of disabled passengers, before developing and piloting new training innovations. Crucially, disabled people and disability groups will be consulted at every stage of the project, alongside various railway operator partners.
Nicola Gampell, Innovation Manager at the Motability Foundation said: “Through this project we want to uncover the challenges with existing models of raising disability awareness in the rail sector and pilot innovative ways of addressing these.
“We hope that this can help to make rail journeys more accessible and inclusive for disabled people.
“Working with disabled people and the rail sector will be crucial to this project, so we’re excited to have grant-funded RNIB and Community Rail Network to deliver it with their significant shared expertise in these areas.”
Jim Sanders, Director of Transformation at RNIB said: “We know from our previous Motability Foundation funded research project that 35% of blind and partially sighted people are not able to make the journeys on public transport they want, when they want to.
“This project will enable us to tackle, at source, the issues people with sight loss experience when travelling, and create a step change in the attitudes and understanding of rail staff to the needs of blind and partially sighted and disabled travellers.
“We are excited to be working with Community Rail Network and Motability Foundation on this innovative project and the opportunities this project will create for us to make a real difference in this area”.
Bill Freeman, Interim Chief Executive of Community Rail Network said: “We’re delighted to be getting this important programme underway, as the railway marks its 200th anniversary and embarks on a period of major transformation.
“We know from our members’ experiences of working with disabled people that too many feel excluded from our railway. We also see up-close the incredible benefits of listening to and learning from disabled people’s experiences and involving them in shaping the changes we all want to see.
“Our members and colleagues across the rail industry will, like us, appreciate the support of the Motability Foundation in enabling Community Rail Network and our community rail partners to bring some fresh thinking to this important issue.
“Ultimately, we’re working towards a truly inclusive railway, where all disabled people can access public transport and the opportunities this opens up.”
Detailed learnings and recommendations from the pilot will be collated and shared at the end of the project in 2026.
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