Disabled people 'excluded by design' at station

The lack of step-free access to a station platform is "incredibly frustrating", the leader of a disability group has said, as an MP has renewed calls for it to be made accessible.

One platform of Northwich Station in Cheshire can only be accessed by a footbridge over the tracks and the station has been unsuccessful in securing funding to resolve this in recent years.

Lynne Turnbull, from charity Disability Positive, said it can feel like disability is the "poor relation of the Equality Act".

A transport minister said accessibility was an "absolute priority" for the government.

The area's MP recently described the lack of access as "exclusion by design" and called for the government to consider the station for funding to make it accessible.

Andrew Cooper, the Labour MP for Mid Cheshire, recently led a parliamentary debate on accessibility issues at the station.

"When we talk about building stronger, fairer communities or encouraging greener travel, we have to ensure that our public transport is open to everyone," he said.

"A railway station that only some of us can use is not truly public transport - it is exclusion by design."

Mr Cooper also highlighted what he called a "missed opportunity" for the station.

In 2021, part of the Victorian canopy collapsed and he said the works to repair it were the "perfect opportunity" to make the station accessible.

He asked the government to consider Northwich for inclusion in the next round of Access for All, a scheme to provide funding to make stations accessible.

Network Rail, train firms and strategic organisations can apply for the funding, but Northwich was not successful in the last round.

The programme was launched in 2006 and the government said it had implemented step-free access at more than 260 stations as of May 2025.

Government data shows that across Great Britain, 61% of stations have step-free access.

In the North West, 58% of the region's stations have step-free access.

Lynne Turnbull, the chief executive of Northwich-based Disability Positive, said the situation was "challenging" for those who wanted to travel to or from the town.

"It's incredibly frustrating as a disabled woman to still be having the conversations, not just that we're in 2025 but the same conversations we were having in 2021 following the collapse," she said.

"The Equality Act, which has been out since 2010, has got the rights for all protected characteristics, including disability.

"Sometimes it feels like disability is the poor relation of the Equality Act."

After Baroness Tanni Grey-Thompson was left stranded on a train in August 2024, Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer said it "should be a basic requirement" for accessible facilities on all public transport.

Cat Whitehouse, co-CEO of Transport for All, an organisation which campaigns for better transport for people with disabilities, called for more action to be taken sooner.

"Keir, keep your promises," she said.

In response to Mr Cooper's Parliamentary debate, transport minister Simon Lightwood said accessibility was an "absolute priority" for the government.

"Once it is fully established and operational, it will be of critical importance for Great British Railways," he said.

He said given the "powerful case" the MP had made for Northwich, he fully expected it to be considered for future rounds of funding.

"The limitations of the current station and the benefits that step-free access would bring, which he set out so clearly today, are exactly the sorts of factors that I expect to inform bids for future rounds of funding," he said.

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