Railway line accessibility 'in the dark ages'

A man who has never travelled on the railway line nearest his home, because there are no lifts, says the infrastructure is "stuck in the dark ages".

David Burdus, who uses a wheelchair, is backing a campaign to improve accessibility on the Tyne Valley line between Newcastle and Carlisle.

The station closest to Mr Burdus's home, Corbridge, has no step-free route to the westbound platform, while the whole line has severely limited accessibility.

Passenger groups have called for full access to be made "a priority".

Mr Burdus, an inclusive design consultant, describes the current situation as "very frustrating".

"I have to drive to Newcastle because Corbridge station is no good, and at Hexham, if the office is closed, access between the platforms is along 800m of narrow pavements without dropped curbs," he said.

Nick Morphet, a co-director of Active Travel Tynedale who visited Corbridge and Hexham stations with Mr Burdus, called the current situation "an absolute disgrace".

"As I walked alongside David in his wheelchair, I felt ashamed," he said.

The new campaign is the idea of Julian Vaughan who heads the Bedfordshire Rail Access Network, but grew up in Hexham.

"My home town should have an accessible station," he said. "It has a barrow crossing but that's not available all the time."

Many other stations on the line - including Riding Mill, Stocksfield, Prudhoe, Haltwhisle and Haydon Bridge - are also not fully accessible, while at Brampton there is a three-mile trip between platforms.

Mr Vaughan's campaign has the support of organisations including the Tyne Valley Community Rail Partnership and the Tyne Valley Rail Users Group.

Patrick Rice, who is a member of both, described improved access to the busiest station, Hexham, as "a priority".

"We realise there is no quick fix, but all organisations must work together to find a solution at Hexham and other stations," he said.

No plans have been published regarding accessibility on the Tyne Valley line.

Operator Northern said: "We call at over 500 stations and we are working hard, both here at Northern and with industry partners, to improve accessibility at as many of those as possible."

A Department for Transport spokesperson said: “Transport should be truly accessible and inclusive, and this is something we will prioritise in our reform of the railways."

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