Wheelchair users ‘trapped’ in train as platform staff ‘not trained to use ramps’

Three wheelchair users were left ‘trapped’ on a train with no ramp to get off because platform staff said they were ‘not trained’ to use them.

Letty Raby, 22, and two other wheelchair-using friends were expecting to be met by platform attendants with a ramp as they arrived at Windsor and Eton Riverside on January 2, but instead they were stuck on the train with no way of getting off.

They waited 15 minutes for help from train staff after pressing the emergency alarm button and stuck their foot over the door to try prevent the train from leaving.

After eventually disembarking, the group claim a member of staff said platform personnel did not come and provide a ramp because they were ‘not trained’ to use them.

Letty Raby told Metro: ‘What I was expecting, which is what I see every other time, is there would be someone in a high-vis jacket with a ramp.

‘But we pulled in and there was literally no one there and then I suddenly had that sinking feeling. I felt very trapped’

‘If I had been on my own, I don’t know what I would have done. I probably would have just sat there in shock.’

Wheelchair users needing a ramp or other assistance can either book in advance or use a ‘turn up and go service’.

This service entitles them to speak to a railway staff when they arrive at a station and get on a train when it is confirmed assistance will provided on the other end.

Letty and three friends, two of who also use a wheelchair, used the ‘turn up and go’ system from Staines to travel to Windsor and Eton Riverside at around 3pm on January 2 on a South Western Railway service.

However when the train pulled up, they were told there was no platform staff to help them and so the group had to press the emergency alarm button to get the attention of the driver.

After a ‘nerve-wracking’ 15 minute wait a train worker used an in-train ramp to help them on to the platform.

The group were ‘shocked’ when they then found a staff member on the platform as they headed to the ticket gates.

‘We thought the station was completely unmanned and that’s why we had no help,’ Letty said.

‘He said: “I am not trained to do it [use the ramp].” We all thought that’s ridiculous.

‘You would think that if there’s someone on the station they would be able to help you. But we were all sat there with no idea what was going to happen.

‘We’d planned, we’d call ahead. They knew we were coming and we still had these issues. Their thought process is not to consider if there is a wheelchair user.’ 

Letty said that ramp are quite technical to use, as they are locked with a key and different trains require different ramps.

This was Letty’s second issue with wheelchair accessibility in London within a month.

At the beginning of December 2024, Letty and a friend became stuck on a jubilee line tube train because they were at doors that were not wheelchair accessible.

The pair had got on at a wheelchair accessible point but moved down the train so Letty could face forwards and not feel travel sick.

The doors closest to them no longer had level access to the platform, and so they were stuck on the train for 40 minutes until they reached the end of the line at Stanmore.

These experiences have left Letty ‘concerned’ for future journeys in London.

Letty said: ‘It is a concern. It just requires so much more planning as a wheelchair user, prevents you from spontaneous decisions.’ 

‘They’re expecting you to book exactly when you think you are going home, and that doesn’t leave any room for changes.

‘There is this extra burden on the wheelchair user to be so much more prepared.

‘There’s also just a bunch of stations in London which are not wheelchair accessible.’ 

Letty is hoping to raise awareness of need to train staff in accessibility and improve accessibility across the UK’s and London rail and tube networks. 

‘More training of staff would be great,’ the student added.

‘Having manned stations is so important for wheelchair users.’ 

South Western Railway, which operates Windsor and Eton Riverside station told Metro: ‘We are very sorry for the delay that Letty and their friends experienced while travelling with us.

‘We are investigating why it was not possible to offer the support that they rightly expected and will be reaching out to Letty to apologise and understand what happened.

‘For the safety of customers with accessibility needs, our colleagues must be properly trained to use boarding ramps.

‘Unfortunately, on this occasion, it appears that a trained colleague was not immediately available. We are very sorry for the 15-minute wait.

‘Last year we successfully delivered more than 200,000 customer assists, including both customers who booked in advance and used our “turn up and go” system.

‘We are set to carry out an in-depth review of our passenger assistance programme to understand how we can make improvements.’

Mark Evers, chief customer officer at TfL, said: ‘Our vision is a London where everyone can move around the city safely, comfortably and sustainably.

‘Access to public transport is fundamental to this, and while we provide an established turn-up-and-go service and have taken steps to make our network more accessible, we know that there is still much work to be done.

‘To help achieve this we are working at pace to deliver more than 80 improvements to our network to make it more inclusive and accessible, as part of our Equity in Motion plan.

‘All our staff and operators receive ongoing Customer Service and Disability Equality training. We are focused on delivering a world-class customer experience and are very sorry that it fell short for Letty. We will learn from this to continue improving our services.’

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