Member

Lords amendment 3 would make the public sector equality duty apply to a publicly owned railway provider. That is very welcome, and I am pleased that the Government have brought forward this amendment, after pressure from Lib Dem colleagues and others in the other place. We were all shocked by Baroness Grey-Thompson’s account of being forced to crawl off a train this summer. Nobody should be compelled to do that in 2024, and it is appalling that it is a constant reality for many. Only one in four mainline railway stations has step-free access, and about 40% of them have no tactile paving. This makes our public transport difficult, if not impossible, to use for many living with a disability. That is simply not good enough. Public transport should be accessible to all, and everyone in society should benefit from the improvements to services that we all hope to see.