Northern Trains improves disability support after regulator’s review
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Northern Trains in the United Kingdom revised its disability awareness training program for staff after the Office of Rail and Road (ORR) found it had not consistently delivered required training and lacked a way to confirm staff completion.
ORR, the independent regulator for railways in Great Britain, investigated Northern and discovered weaknesses in its management and monitoring of disability training as outlined in its Accessible Travel Policy. Northern responded with a 23-point improvement plan, which it has now fully implemented.
The improvements include clearer accountability for training, new systems for tracking who needs and completes training, updated staff records, and better instruction for both new hires and refresher courses. ORR’s investigation revealed that Northern had not met its obligations under Condition 5 of its Station Licence and the GB Statement of National Regulatory Provisions, which require operators to provide appropriate support to disabled passengers.
Stephanie Tobyn, ORR’s director of strategy, policy and reform, stated that disabled passengers “should be able to trust that staff have the knowledge and confidence to provide the support they need.” ORR will now resume regular quarterly monitoring of Northern’s training program to ensure the improvements continue. Passengers can arrange assistance through Northern’s Passenger Assist service, which allows them to book help in advance.
