19-05-2025
‘Rude' Network Rail staff refused to help disabled woman board train
Ms Landre had intended to travel from London Liverpool Street to Cambridge on Sunday to meet a friend for lunch.
Arriving 15 minutes before her train's scheduled departure time, she approached the assistance point to ask for a staff member to deploy a ramp so she could get herself and her wheelchair onto the train.
Disabled passengers who need assistance are entitled to turn up and travel whenever they please, although most rail operators have a pre-booking scheme so staff can speedily get to wherever they are needed at large, busy stations.
'Time ticked by and with about five to six minutes to go he told me they were very busy right now and might not be able to get me on the train,' Ms Landre said.
'I said that maybe I'd try going to the platform and asking the onboard or platform staff to help me, and he said that at this station they don't have ramp keys,' she continued, referring to the keys that secure the ramps safely out of the way when not in use.
'Personal apology'
Only certain station staff are trained to use the items, The Telegraph understands.
'One minute before departure a staff member showed up and I gestured towards the train right across from us and she seemed confused because it had disappeared off the board,' she explained.
Not believing that that was the correct train, the staff member tried to radio her colleague at the help desk and ask for clarification – but the train's doors had closed by that point.
She said staff began to 'lecture' her about the 'need' to pre-book disability assistance and said they would prioritise other disabled passengers before helping her.
A Network Rail spokesperson said an investigation was underway, adding: 'We are really sorry that Ms Landre had this experience when using our station.
'Our director for the Anglia region, which includes responsibility for Liverpool Street station, spoke with Ms Landre this morning and personally apologised for her experience.
'Our aim is to provide a positive experience for each and every passenger and she should never have been denied assistance to board a train and we know we let her down.
'Completely unacceptable'
A Department for Transport spokesperson said: 'Incidents such as this are completely unacceptable. The Rail Minister has raised the incident with National Rail who have now apologised to Ms Landre and are carrying out an investigation into what went wrong.'
Lord Hendy, the minister, was chairman of Network Rail prior to joining the Labour Government after last year's election.
Last year the head of a campaigning charity said disabled people are taking a gamble every time they try to use a train.
Emma Vogelmann of Transport for All, a charity, claimed disabled passengers could not rely on companies assisting them on and off services, despite having a legal obligation to do so.
She was speaking after one of Britain's most successful Paralympians, Baroness Tanni Grey-Thompson, who said she was forced to crawl off a train because there was no wheelchair assistance to help her.
