Rail firms ordered to improve disabled access to toilets

(Photo: Action Images)

Disabled football fans will be relieved to know the Department for Transport has ordered several rail companies across the country to improve access to their on-train toilets.

The government warned service providers they needed to constructively rectify the issue as the long-running problem of disabled passengers being unable to use the toilet recently garnered mainstream attention through the account of British Paralympian Anne Wafula Strike.

The former Team GB wheelchair racer, awarded an MBE in 2007 for her services to para-athletics and charity work, revealed how she was unable to hold a full bladder when on a CrossCountry service from Nuneaton to Harlow. With a member of rail staff saying she should wait until the train arrived at the next station to get off – even with the long practicalities that entail transferring a wheelchair user from the train to the platform.

After government involvement, rail minister Paul Maynard commented: “We are committed to ensuring no passenger has to go through this again. I am dismayed at the terrible experience that Wafula Strike had while travelling from Nuneaton to Harlow. She is right to bring this matter to the department’s attention and I applaud her bravery for speaking openly about her experience.”

Wafula Strike’s experience will resonate with many football fans whose away day plans to go and watch their team are limited by the outdated standards of some toilet facilities.

Many train companies have pledged to improve access to toilets as well as re-training staff on how to assist disabled passengers.

Government legislation has mandated that by 2020 all trains nationwide must provide suitable toilets.