Building a more accessible railway: reflections from the first Disability & Accessibility Industry Working Group

The rail industry is at an important point in its journey. As we move towards Great British Railways and a more joined-up system, there is a real opportunity to do something we have talked about for years - move accessibility from being a series of individual projects to something that is genuinely built into how the railway works every day.

On 16 March, we held the first meeting of the Disability & Accessibility Industry Working Group. It brought together colleagues from across operators, infrastructure, government, suppliers, and the accessibility and lived experience community. More importantly, it brought together a shared intent: to stop working in silos and start working as one industry.

I’m Rose Merchant from Greater Anglia. I’m proud to be a Joint Chair of this industry group, Networks and Partnerships Lead on Rail Unites for Inclusion, and I lead Greater Anglia’s internal disability network, Ability. I’m also a proud recently diagnosed ADHDr, and I bring both professional and lived experience into this work. For me, this is about something very practical: making sure the railway works for people in real life, not just on paper.

A strong start, built on collaboration

The tone of the first meeting was encouraging. Not because everything is already solved, but because there is a genuine willingness to do things differently.

We have a lot of excellent work already happening across the industry. Groups like the RSSB Social Sustainability Working Group and the Inclusion, Belonging & Wellbeing Community of Practice are already pushing important thinking on accessibility, inclusion, and social value.

But what came through clearly is that the system can feel fragmented. Good work is happening on disability and accessibility in different places, but it is not always joined up, and it does not always translate consistently into the customer or colleague experience.

This group is here to help change that, by connecting the dots, aligning effort, and focusing on what actually improves outcomes.

The Accessibility Roadmap: turning plans into delivery

We heard from Helen Dolphin on the Rail Accessibility Roadmap, which sets out 34 actions across seven priority areas. It is a strong and practical framework, covering everything from stations and trains to passenger assistance, information, retail, and cultural change.

There is real progress in having this level of structure and accountability. But the discussion also reminded us that delivery only works if it reflects lived experience. Accessibility is not just about completing actions, it is about whether people can actually travel confidently, independently, and without unnecessary stress.

Where the system is still falling short

One of the clearest issues raised was Access to Work. Across the industry, we are seeing long delays, inconsistent processes, and growing pressure on both individuals and employers.

Many organisations are stepping in to bridge the gap, but that is not sustainable in the long term.

There was a strong shared view that the industry has a role to play in bringing a coordinated voice to government, based on real evidence from across rail, so the system can be improved rather than worked around.

Rethinking how we see disability at work

We also talked about how disability is understood in the workplace.

What stood out is how often systems are still built around a fixed idea of disability when in reality, many conditions are dynamic. Energy levels, symptoms, and support needs can change from day to day, or even hour to hour.

That has real consequences for how we design rostering, absence management, occupational health processes, and even how comfortable people feel disclosing information.

A really practical idea that emerged was moving towards a “menu of adjustments” something flexible that can be used as needed, rather than a one-size-fits-all solution. It’s a simple shift, but one that could make a meaningful difference.

Making things consistent across the industry

There is also strong appetite to standardise approaches where it makes sense to do so.

Disability passports are a good example. Different organisations are developing useful tools, but they are not yet aligned. There is an opportunity here to create something more consistent across rail, so colleagues do not have to repeatedly share their information or start from scratch when they move between organisations.

The same applies to things like communication preferences and workplace adjustments. As we move towards GBR, consistency will matter more than ever.

Measuring what really matters

We also spent time talking about how we measure impact.

At the moment, much of the focus is on narrow measures like time savings. While important, they do not capture the full picture.

We need better ways of understanding social value, things like confidence, independence, wellbeing, participation, and access to work. These are the outcomes that actually show whether we are making a difference.

There is work underway to explore what better measurement could look like, and what data we need to support it.

Culture, capability and consistency

Alongside systems and processes, there was also a strong focus on culture.

We talked about Disability Confident Level 3 and the opportunity to bring more consistency across the industry. We also discussed the importance of manager capability and creating environments where people feel safe to be open about their needs.

A key theme throughout was trust, making sure sharing disability data leads to support, not friction, and that policies work in practice, not just in principle.

Where this group fits

One of the most important outcomes from the first meeting was clarity on purpose.

This group is not here to duplicate work that already exists. It is here to connect it.

We will work alongside existing industry forums, including RSSB groups, EDI networks, and the Accessibility Roadmap delivery structures. Our role is to help bring alignment, reduce fragmentation, and make sure that lived experience is central to decision-making.

Looking ahead

Our next meeting on 20 May will focus on turning discussion into action. That includes Disability Confident Level 3, standardising disability passports, developing thinking on dynamic disabilities, improving social value measurement, and reviewing progress on key roadmap areas.

We want everyone to be able to take part fully. If you need any reasonable adjustments to attend the next meeting, please do get in touch in advance and we’ll make sure the right support is in place. Rose.Merchant@greateranglia.co.uk

Final reflection

This is a significant moment for the industry. Not because everything is ready, but because there is a shared recognition that we can do better, and a willingness to work together to make that happen.

If we get this right, accessibility will stop being something the railway “adds on” and become something it is built around.

That is the direction of travel. And this group is part of helping to make it real.