Train operator Northern has said it is "working apace" to improve the travel experience for people with additional access needs.
Northern said it has met with representatives from the Office of Rail & Road (ORR) to discuss the progress it has made since an improvement plan for its Passenger Assist service was accepted by the regulator in December 2024.
It follows a complaint by the ORR in September (2024) that not all passengers were receiving the necessary assistance they required.
At the time, Northern revealed it had seen a significant increase in number of requests for assistance since the Covid-19 pandemic, with more than 100,000 bookings for ‘assists’ in the previous year.
Since then, Northern has instigated a range of activity aimed at improving accessibility and customer experience, including a ‘Try the Train’ campaign and participating in a Rail Delivery Group trial to introduce more Welcome Points at stations on the network.
And in February, Northern joined forces with the free travel app GoodMaps to provide guided tours of four stations (Blackpool North, Bolton, Manchester Victoria and Meadowhall) to increase people’s confidence to navigate those stations independently.
On matters relating to accessibility, the train operator works closely with the Northern Accessibility User Group (NAUG) - a pan disability user group whose membership represents a wide range of disabilities that reflect the communities served by Northern.
Alex Hornby, commercial and customer director at Northern, said:
“We are in the midst of a huge push on our accessibility agenda. We weren’t doing enough and we are putting that right.
“Delivering Passenger Assist isn’t a luxury or ‘optional extra’ – it’s a critical element of some people’s every day travel needs.
“Customers that have experienced our Passenger Assist service have given it a 96% approval rating – that’s joint top for the rail industry and up 17% since Northern moved into public ownership in 2020.
“If we fail once, that’s once too often. That’s why, together as a team throughout Northern, we are embracing better communications & technology to improve the accessibility assistance throughout the customer’s journey and right across our network.”
Northern will meet with the ORR again in April to discuss further developments.
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