Wheelchair users could be denied travel on West Somerset Railway

The WSR has introduced new policy for disabled visitors. It contains useful advice about which station facilities are suitable or not. It seems the "disabled", if they can show they are indeed "disabled", can get half fare travel, and their carer likewise. I'm not quite sure who on the WSR staff determines whether a visitor is "disabled" and who is a "carer". Personally, I think it would be better for the Railway to charge full fare and use the extra revenue to invest in better facilities on the trains and stations for those who find the present arrangement wanting. To be fair, the WSR has and is investing in better facilities. A little more cash might speed that work.

Now, the new policy has a particular fault which visitors using wheelchairs and motorised scooters do need to pay attention to. The policy lays down maximum dimensions on the trains for wheelchairs and motorised scooters - 1200mm long, 700mm wide, 1350mm high, 1200mm from floor to lap, 150mm from floor to top of shoe. The WSR have adopted the dimensions from UK and EU regulations for accommodating wheelchairs in new-build trains and other railway facilities. The regs do not apply to heritage railways. Furthermore, my research finds the regulations were based on the results of a consultation exercise which measured lots of wheelchairs but which failed to deliberately include a good representation of all users especially long-term wheelchair-bound adults, many of which cannot use the "reference wheelchair" as now specified in the regulations. So, we have a UK and EU regulation based on a flawed consultation exercise and now adopted by a heritage railway who, despite having their attention drawn, seem to want to ignore the faults and the inappropriateness of the regulations to their business.

The WSR say those who use "oversize" wheelchairs can ask for an "assessment" which, if successful, may allow them to travel. I have no idea, and the WSR have declined to explain, what processes the "assessment" uses, who carries it out, where it is carried out and when. I suspect the WSR have not even thought about it, yet.

The result is many wheelchair-users, perhaps including some regular WSR visitors, will find themselves barred from travelling on this heritage railway.

I know one wheelchair-bound user who has used the WSR trains since 1977 with no problem, incident or complaint (from either side) and who now find his wheelchair exceeds the maximum dimension by a few centimetres and technically cannot be carried. And that despite no change to the Railway infrastructure, no change to the ramps used to get the wheelchair on and off the train, no change to the accommodation inside the train. Nothing has changed. Except the rules. To me, that sounds like discrimination and could be challenged in court if someone felt so inclined.

Many representations have been made to the Railway asking for a rethink but it is clear from their replies that they have no intention of changing the maximum dimensions.

Like many folk who have a wheelchair-bound member of the family I remain positive and optimistic that one day the WSR will see the light and modify the policy to enable almost all wheelchair users to travel on the best heritage railway in the land.

A Facebook Group

"I travelled on the West Somerset Railway in 2010" is a Facebook group for those who plan to travel on Britain's longest heritage railway in 2010. Hopefully a ticket will be purchased! It would be nice to see a large membership of the group on Facebook and even better if many members can make at least one trip this year and help the Railway reach a record 250000 passengers in 2010. I suppose the key to success is to ensure many Facebook users join up. I'm not sure how that is done effectively but I'm sure every effort will be made. There are ten stations - Bishops Lydeard, Crowcombe Heathfield, Stogumber, Williton, Doniford, Watchet, Washford, Blue Anchor, Dunster and Minehead. And lots to superb scenery along the twenty mile steam powered railway which runs from the Vale of Taunton Deane, through the gap between the Quantock Hills and the Brendon Hills, to the Bristol Channel coast at Watchet, Blue Anchor and Minehead, the gateway to Exmoor. See www.wsr.org.uk for more details.

Further to Barry Doe's article in an earlier Rail magazine in which he criticised the WSR for failing to provide a daily service to and from Taunton, I note Barry has now responded publicly in his Rail column to the many people who complained. It would seem he has failed to acknowledge the simple facts of business (there must be a market and there must be the infrastructure and staff to make it profitable). He says he had a positive phone discussion with the WSR General Manager and was clearly pleased to learn the WSR have distant plans for a park-n-ride at Bishops Lydeard, by which distant visitors can change trains. Whilst the WSR GM is clearly better placed than I am to make comment about future WSR plans, I would suggest the obstacles I so carefully pointed out to Barry Doe would still remain, even if such as facility existed at Bishops Lydeard. Indeed, it would not even be a "park and ride". It would be more of a "ride-change-ride". Unless there is a main line company willing to run their trains, daily, every hour or so, to Bishops Lydeard, and the WSR can itself provide a regular, daily service, throughout most of the day and evening, and there is sufficient passenger traffic, then the whole idea will not provide the kind of service Barry Doe requires. I am impressed by how easily Barry Doe has accepted things, even to the extent of mention in his column. Like many long-time WSR supporters, I do not accept such ideas lightly, and although I would love to see a regular service to and from Taunton, it must only be done when all the pegs fit in the right holes. Sorry, Barry.