I recently co-authored a paper at the Centre for Asset Studies where we argue for investment in low speed rail. The full paper can be found at the think tank’s website here.
But long story short…
Rail is environmentally friendly and efficient, which is good.
UK passenger rail faces capacity constraints, which is bad.
Investment in new low speed freight routes would be better than investment in new high speed passenger routes
The government recently announced a £20m “funding boost” for accessibility across 124 rail stations.
£20 million, to most individuals, really is a lot of cash. And any additional investment in train station accessibility is good.
For many people, the rail network is extremely challenging to use.
Quite a few years ago I did some fire engineering design training*. Trying to navigate without eyesight (wearing a blind fold) is both terrifying and difficult. Not only did it change how I considered the design of a built environment, but it also gave me some appreciation of the importance of designing for accessibility. Platform tactile paving, for example, literally is a matter of life and death.
Further- The things that make stations more accessible for disabled users tend to make the stations better for all users.
For example: Lift access to platforms is fundamental for wheel chair users. Lifts are also safer and more convenient for passengers with big suitcases. And additional lifts provide additional overall capacity.
It’s not clear from network rail reporting how much is currently spent on station accessibility.
If we look at £20 million in the context of network rails recent £3,577 million in annual operational costs, this doesn’t seem a lot.
Network rail only operate 20 out of the 2500(ish) UK train stations. Point being we can conclude that £20 million is a relatively modest funding boost.
If we divide £20M between the 124 stations allocated thats roughly £160k per station- which in railway terms is not a lot: For example, in a recent estimate the “Cost for the design, supply, and installation of the lift mechanisms and enclosure themselves would be in the region of £750,000 to £1.2 million.”
That would again indicate that £20 million is a relatively modest funding boost.
I don’t doubt that this funding boost has good intentions. And any increase in funding is a good thing overall.
I believe that it is fair to judge the success of a train station on how accessible it is for the least mobile in society.
Generally, UK train stations could be a lot better and I would argue that £20 million is inadequate to make a big difference. And for me, a big difference is exactly what is required.
I’d love to hear your thoughts on all of this. Please do leave a comment below, or message me directly.
If you enjoyed this article, the best compliment you could give me would be to share it with someone else who might like it. And as ever, if you think I might be able to help your organisation, please do get in touch!
News post on gov.uk by the Department for Transport and The Rt Hon Grant Shapps MP - https://www.gov.uk/government/news/rail-stations-across-great-britain-receive-20-million-funding-boost-for-accessibility-improvements
Network Rail Limited Annual report and accounts 2019 - https://cdn.networkrail.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2019/07/Annual-report-and-accounts-2019.pdf
Estimated cost of a passenger lift at a railway station: EIR release - https://www.gov.scot/publications/foi-18-03026/
*This experience had a tremendous and lasting impact on me. Some of the first-hand accounts from former firemen reduced the room to tears.
