Challenge
The Department for Transport (DfT) is committed to improving the accessibility of the railways. In 2017 and 2020, the Department commissioned research on disabled users’ and disabled non-users’ experiences of rail travel (DfT: Experiences of disabled rail passengers (2017); DfT: Experiences of disabled non-users of rail (2020)) which were useful in expanding DfT’s knowledge base of rail travel amongst disabled people. However, both pieces of research were conducted prior to COVID-19 and subsequent shifts in people’s travel behaviour and the emergence of cost-of-living pressures. As such, there was a need to up to date evidence is required in this area. In 2024, DfT commissioned research agency Verian to undertake qualitative research to address this gap in the evidence base.
The overall aim of this research was to update DfT’s qualitative evidence base on the experiences, barriers, challenges and enablers for disabled users and non-users when travelling by train or considering doing so. The key objectives of the research were to:
- refresh the Department’s current qualitative understanding of the experiences, barriers and challenges that disabled rail users and non-users face when travelling by train, or considering doing so, across all journey stages
- inform policymaking aimed at improving the accessibility of the railways
Approach
To address the aims of the research, Verian undertook an iterative programme of research, conducting a short purposive evidence review followed by primary qualitative research consisting of in-depth interviews and accompanied journeys.
The evidence review aimed to generate an understanding of the existing research on disabled users’ and disabled non-users’ experiences of rail travel. The review included a total of 25 qualitative, quantitative, and mixed methods UK studies from a range of sources, including industry, government, academic, research institutes and charities. The review identified dominant and under-research themes and topics in the literature, highlighting areas for further exploration through new primary qualitative research.
The primary research consisted of 60 online interviews in total (30 interviews with disabled users and 30 interviews with non-users of rail including ten paired interviews with carers), and ten accompanied journeys with disabled users of rail. The core objective of the primary research was to generate an in-depth understanding of the experiences, barriers, challenges and enablers for disabled users and non-users when travelling (or considering travelling) by train, across all journey stages, as well as to address some of the gaps identified in the evidence review, such as the experiences of young people and the impact of COVID-19.
A purposive sampling approach was used to ensure a diverse and inclusive sample reflecting key characteristics of this audience.
Findings
The importance of accessible rail services
Train services played an important role in participants’ lives and provided both functional and emotional benefits. Participants also highlighted that train services were often a lifeline amongst individuals with disabilities and impairments who were reliant on public transport to travel independently.
Many rail users reported very positive rail travel experiences, particularly with staff support. However, experience of rail travel varied across disabilities and impairments, visible and non-visible disabilities, age, and location. Across the sample both rail users and lapsed users reported negative experiences which, although infrequent, had significant impacts on perceptions of rail travel and the barriers to rail travel, as well as individual’s confidence when it comes to rail travel. Negative rail travel experiences included incidents of service failures such as being unable to board or disembark trains because staff were perceived to have ignored or forgotten about them.
Barriers to rail travel
The research identified six core categories of barriers to rail travel amongst individual with disabilities and impairments, these were: 1) physical, 2) social, 3) informational, 4) sensory and emotional, 5) motivational and confidence, and 6) financial.
Across the sample barriers to rail travel were often multiple and overlapping, with most participants experiencing a range of barriers when travelling by train or considering doing so. Furthermore, barriers were not fixed and change over time, reflecting shifts in individual’s disabilities and impairments, such as improvements, declines, new issues or conditions, and familiarity and experiences with rail travel.
Unlike rail users in the sample, non-users felt that these barriers were insurmountable or simply that they could not travel by rail. Past experiences and anecdotal stories underpinned non-rail users’ views that travelling by train would be exhausting, overwhelming and altogether too challenging and risky way to travel (particularly when compared to private car travel).
Enablers of rail travel
Findings regarding the enablers of rail travel were comprised of passenger practices and rail service provisions. In terms of passenger practices the research identified that passengers with disabilities and impairments were undertaking actions to make rail travel easier. These actions included advanced planning, contingency planning and building individual resilience. Rail service provisions and initiatives emerged as an enabler of rail travel for those with disabilities and impairments. Service provisions facilitating rail travel included assistance such as the Passenger Assist service, multi-modal information and tailored accessibility aids (e.g. tactile paving for the visually impaired and wide gates for wheelchairs and mobility scooters).
Suggested mitigations for the barriers to rail travel
Participants suggested a number of potential provisions to mitigate and reduce the impact of barriers to travel and encourage disabled users and non-users to use rail more frequently. These included:
- more accessible infrastructure for people with mobility issues, visual impairments, as well as for those who experience sensory and emotional barriers (such as dedicated station entrances away from crowds)
- dedicated and visible support staff and spaces at stations and on trains, as well as staff training to improve understanding and empathy to mitigate against social barriers
- guaranteed support and carriage spaces
- accessible and real time information on facilities at stations and on train, as well as multimodal information provision in stations and on-board trains, and multimodal station signage (tactile paving, coloured lines and arrows) to address informational obstacles
- advance information to support journey planning (e.g. station layout, station and train facilities) to support motivation and confidence
- reduced burden of proof for the Disabled Persons Railcard (DPRC), and free travel for a carer or support companion to address financial barriers
Impact
The research is informing the Department for Transport’s policy and strategy development on accessibility of the railways and feeding in to decisions on service provision such as Passenger Assist. It has also been used to inform the design of follow-up quantitative survey to understand the prevalence of issues identified in the qualitative research across the disabled population in Great Britain.
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