Complaint Over Lack Of Step-Free Station Access

A disabled man has spoken to the media about his distressing experience when attempting to change platforms at Milton Keynes Central station. The Independent reports that Chris Nicholson, a wheelchair user, became stranded when he had to unexpectedly change platforms after a train cancelation on a recent journey. 

There was no working lift or other step-free access on the platform, and station staff told Chris that he must wait for the next available train, which was several hours away. He was left stranded on a platform in 31°c heat, with no access to toilets or refreshments. 

Staff said they were unable to help him up a flight of concrete steps, because it would go against the station’s health and safety policy. Chris decided to take matters into his own hands, and he dragged himself and his chair up a flight of steps. At the halfway point, a passenger and staff member came to his assistance. 

Chris, a former rugby player, told the publication: "If staff had been trained to help people with different disabilities, had evac chairs readily available and actually had a working lift - because that lift had been down for seven days according to the security guard.”

He added: "I'm not just the only person who's been in this situation. It's progressed further and there's a lot of people out there who have had issues on public transport. If people were trained, if people had the knowledge and understanding of what to do then we wouldn't be in this situation right now."

Chris pointed out that his experience of public transport was common for many disabled people across the country, and also affected parents with prams and pushchairs. He called for a change in policy to oblige transport operators to improve accessibility. The train operator, Avanti West Coast, later issued an apology for the incident.

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