Stations improved after disabled man left stranded

Doug Paulley was left stranded at Appleby station when his accessible taxi was cancelled

Train stations are set to be made more accessible after a disabled man who was left stranded while travelling took on a legal battle.

Stations at Appleby, Ulverston, Hexham, Settle, Bridlington and Thorne North - all operated by Northern - required wheelchair users to change platforms by crossing the tracks with staff assistance, or to use a taxi to travel to the other platform.

Disability rights campaigner and frequent rail passenger, Doug Paulley, was left stranded at Appleby station in Cumbria last year, when Northern cancelled his pre-booked accessible taxi and no staff were there to help.

Northern said it had already made changes to some stations, with the others in line for improvements.

A company spokesman said they were sorry about Mr Paulley's "difficult experience" and said improving accessibility remained "a top priority".

Mr Paulley brought a legal challenge on the grounds that Northern was in breach of the Equality Act, for not staffing the six stations for all of their operating hours, and for not providing step-free access.

He issued an application for a judicial review and Northern agreed to settle without an admission of liability.

'Need for lifts'

"I'm pleased Northern is now belatedly taking action to improve accessibility at these stations," Mr Paulley said.

However, he insisted that requiring disabled people to rely on staff was not "true accessibility".

"Lifts facilitating independent access should be standard, and anything less is unacceptable," he added.

Northern has now installed a lift at Bridlington and ensured Ulverston, Thorne North and Hexham have assistance staff from the first until the last train.

By 31 August, it committed to staffing Appleby and Settle when trains operate, to help disabled passengers.

A Northern spokesman said: "We recognise how vital accessibility is for all our customers and are committed to making meaningful improvements across our network."

They added that they would continue to listen to passenger's feedback to ensure "everyone can travel with confidence and dignity".

Mr Paulley said other railway companies should "take note" that if they are not accessible, "they will face legal consequence".

Stephanie Hill, a partner at legal firm Leigh Day, who represented Mr Paulley, said all passengers should be able to travel with freedom.

"I very much hope that all train operators will ensure that stations are properly accessible to all rail users to prevent instances like my client has experienced, from happening again."