Received from: TSSA
Congress notes:
i. The recent treatment of Baroness Tanni Grey-Thompson during a rail journey, reported on 31st August 2024;
ii. That, at current annual rates of investment, it will take ~100 years to make all stations step-free to new-build standards;
iii. That even excluding stations that currently have reasonable access, investment of around £3.75 billion would be required;
iv. That many trains fail to comply with the Disability Discrimination Act 2005 which mandated full accessibility by 2020;
v. Recent attempts by the previous Government to shut nearly all ticket offices.
Congress believes that:
a. The treatment of Baroness Grey-Thompson is unacceptable; our transport network should be safe and accessible for everyone and comply with discrimination law;
b. That her experience speaks to the systemic underinvestment in our railways;
c. That we should be expanding and accelerating investment in transport infrastructure to improve services and accessibility;
d. That increasing transport staffing levels – not closing ticket offices or removing railway workers from trains – is vital for creating safe, accessible services.
Congress calls on the government to:
1. Set out a strategy for increasing investment in railway infrastructure to improve services and compliance with discrimination law;
2. Ensure ticket offices are kept open, that there are adequate staff to provide support for disabled passengers, and ensure that our transport network is safe for all;
3. Set out an action plan for ensuring all staff are appropriately trained in supporting disabled passengers on the railway.
Moved: TSSA
Seconded: ASLEF