Question reference: S6W-20851
- Asked by: Pam Duncan-Glancy, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Labour
- Date lodged: 25 August 2023
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Current status: Answered by Fiona Hyslop on 22 September 2023
Question
To ask the Scottish Government what criteria it used to identify and nominate railway stations for the UK Government Department for Transport's Access for All programme.
Answer
Rail accessibility in Scotland is a reserved matter for the UK Government. In June 2022, the Department for Transport (DfT) confirmed, in writing, to Transport Scotland that nominated stations will be assessed primarily against similar criteria to those used in previous Control Periods. This criteria includes:
- Footfall, using figures published by the Office of Rail and Road.
- Stations where there is a particularly high incidence of disability in the area, based on Census data.
- A particular local circumstance such as the proximity of hospitals, a school for disabled children or a military rehabilitation centre for example, or stations with relatively high numbers of interchange passengers.
- The availability of third-party funding.
- Stations that would help to fill “gaps” in accessibility on the network such as in an area where there are no accessible stations.
- Letter of support from the constituency Member of Parliament (MP).
Transport Scotland work closely with Network Rail and ScotRail to agree the Scottish Government nominations, taking account of the criteria against which these will be evaluated by the DfT. The finalised submissions are approved by Scottish Ministers prior to submitting to the Department for Transport.