The community rail movement will be ramping up its work empowering disabled people to travel with confidence, thanks to a grant from Motability Foundation.
Community Rail Network, a national not-for-profit organisation that supports communities to get involved with local railways and stations – and get maximum benefit from them – will be working with four of its community rail partnership members, and its wider membership, to deliver the programme and ensure lasting change.
The programme has been developed in light of evidence showing the large proportion of disabled people facing barriers using rail, and how these can be reduced. Research by Scope shows 54% of disabled people often or always feel anxious using public transport, and 30% say difficulties with public transport reduce their mobility.[1] Experience in community rail demonstrates the benefits that can be unlocked through empowering disabled people through meaningful engagement and change to break down barriers, opening up rail and connected sustainable modes of travel.
Commencing in early 2025 (coinciding with the national Railway 200 celebrations), the programme will involve four core delivery partners, building on their substantive experience in this area of work: Community Rail Lancashire; GO Community Rail Partnership (Gloucestershire and Oxfordshire); Severnside Community Rail Partnership; and Southeast Communities Rail Partnership. They will be working with local inclusion and disability partners, aiming to engage 1,500 disabled people with diverse needs and lived experiences, developing their skills and awareness and providing enriching rail travel experiences, while drawing on their input and enabling them to shape their involvement.
The CRPs, their local partners and Community Rail Network will ensure disabled people’s expertise by experience is at the forefront and will share their insights with railway partners and decision-makers at local and national level to help shape a more inclusive railway, especially through the process of rail reform.
Community Rail Network will coordinate the programme, gather evidence and insights, and involve its wider membership of 75 community rail partnerships and 325 station groups, to share good practice and support wider activity. This will include providing small grants and advice to help more of its members set up similar initiatives in their local areas, aiming to empower hundreds more people, and build a lasting legacy.
Jools Townsend, chief executive of Community Rail Network, said: “We’re thrilled to be getting this important programme underway, at a crucial time as the railway embarks on a period of major transformation.
“We know from our members’ experiences working with the disabled community, and people in diverse circumstances, that too many people feel excluded from our railway. But we also see up-close the incredible benefits that can be unlocked through meaningful engagement, building travel awareness, skills and confidence, and, crucially, drawing on disabled people’s expertise by experience, to affect wider change.
“Enabling people who previously felt unable to use rail to start accessing the opportunities it can open up – training, employment, leisure and social opportunities – can be life-changing. Ultimately, we’re working towards a truly inclusive railway, and all disabled people being able to travel with confidence.”
Lisa Jones, Motability Foundation’s director of charitable operations, said: “We’re delighted to award Community Rail Network with this grant to work with community rail partnerships and create a travel training programme to support disabled people use trains and buses confidently.
“Community Rail Network, together with its partners, will gather insights from disabled people’s experiences and offer travel awareness training, supporting disabled people to travel independently and confidently.
“Awarding grants to important organisations like Community Rail Network helps us to make an immediate difference to the transport needs of disabled people.”
Katie Douglas, accessibility & inclusion officer at Community Rail Lancashire, said: “Travelling with confidence on our rail network can be a game changer. It opens up opportunities to visit family and friends, take up work and learning opportunities, explore new places and get to those all-important appointments. Community Rail Lancashire is thrilled to be working alongside other CRPs to support disabled people with low confidence in rail travel to develop new skills, grow and access all that rail has to offer.”
Hannah McDonnell, executive director of GO Community Rail Partnership, said: “We are delighted to be part of this important initiative that puts disabled people’s experiences at the heart of making travel more accessible. As an organisation committed to inclusive transport, we know that building travel confidence is about more than just physical accessibility – it’s about creating supportive, understanding environments where everyone feels they can travel independently. Through meaningful co-production with disabled people and our community partners, we’ll work to break down barriers and open up the opportunities that travel confidence brings. This project will help create lasting change in how we approach accessible transport across our network.”
Heather Cullimore, partnership manager at Severnside CRP, said: “We are delighted to be part of this important project. Grant funding will ensure the development of our Days Out By Train scheme, supporting more people with disabilities to build confidence in using the local rail and wider public transport network. Over the next two years, we hope to learn more about the specific needs of local groups and build a network of local champions supporting their peers to plan and enjoy journeys in the knowledge of support available.”
Fiona Morton, chief executive officer of Southeast Communities Rail Partnership, said: “We are proud to support this important initiative to build confidence in rail travel. At some point, we will all need that little bit of extra help to travel independently and safely, and this project will use insights from groups of disabled people to improve accessibility for us all.”
All photos courtesy of Severnside CRP.
[1] Scope, Travel Fair report, 2019, https://www.scope.org.uk/campaigns/travel-fair/travel-fair-report-summary
