Qurexa Logo
Qurexa

Trust. Care. Deliver.

Back to Blog & Insights
Travel

60% against 79%: the rail gap nobody puts on a timetable

Qurexa Editorial Team27 September 20268 min read 0 0
60% against 79%: the rail gap nobody puts on a timetable

What happened

On 24 September 2026, the Department for Transport published a major piece of research on how disabled people use the railways in Great Britain — and why many of them do not. The study was carried out by the independent agency Thinks Insight & Strategy. It surveyed 6,000 people between May and July 2025: a nationally representative sample of 2,000 adults aged 16 and over, plus 2,000 disabled people who use rail and 2,000 disabled people who do not. A 'user' means someone who has used the rail network in the last 18 months. The central finding is a gap. Only 60% of disabled people had travelled by rail in the last 18 months, compared with 79% of non-disabled people. The research uses the Social Model of Disability — the idea that people are disabled by barriers in society rather than by their condition. That framing shapes the whole report, and it is a deliberate choice. There is appetite to travel more. Among disabled rail users, 30% thought they were likely to travel more by rail in the next six months, against 12% who thought they would travel less. Among disabled non-users, 15% said they were likely to travel more. The report is described as a baseline, meaning it is designed so future change can be measured against it.

Why this matters

Once disabled people are actually travelling, they travel about as often as anyone else. Just under a quarter of disabled users — 24% — use rail weekly. That is the crucial detail. The problem is not that disabled people travel less by nature. It is that a large group never starts. And the reasons are not the ones many people would guess. The single biggest barrier is money. Only 37% of disabled users agreed that rail travel is affordable. Non-disabled users were almost identical at 39% — so this is not a disability-specific complaint. But its impact is much heavier. Expensive or unaffordable tickets either completely prevent travel, or make it significantly less likely, for 56% of disabled users and 65% of disabled non-users. The second barrier is unreliability, and here the disability dimension is sharp. The possibility of delays or cancellations — including inaccessible replacement services — is a significant barrier for 44% of users and 61% of non-users. Think about what a rail replacement bus means if you use a wheelchair. Your carefully planned accessible journey is replaced, at short notice, by a vehicle that may not take you at all. You are not delayed. You are stranded. This matters for health, not just for leisure. Hospital appointments, specialist clinics, pharmacies, family support — all of it depends on being able to get somewhere.

What the evidence actually says

The report is generally positive about how rail feels once you are on it. Most disabled users agreed that rail travel is fast (75%), safe (67%) and accessible (66%). But disabled users are much more likely to hit obstacles: 76% regularly experience barriers when travelling by train, against 61% of non-disabled users. The extra barriers are both practical and emotional. Alongside cost, disabled users reported feeling anxious or stressed about travelling by rail, and were particularly affected by delays and cancellations. People with cognitive conditions reported the widest range of barriers, especially sensory overload and anxiety. The type of condition changes the picture significantly. People with physical conditions — affecting mobility, or causing problems with stamina, breathing or fatigue — are significantly less likely to use rail than people with sensory or cognitive conditions such as visual conditions or memory difficulties. And among those who do travel, people with sensory conditions travel more frequently than those with mobility or stamina difficulties. There is a finding about staff that deserves attention. People who have experienced a lack of recognition of their needs from rail staff in the past are likely to feel less confident travelling by rail in future. One bad interaction can remove someone from the railway for years. Disabled non-users were less likely than users to agree rail is safe or accessible — which suggests part of the barrier is perception formed at a distance, not just direct experience. On what would help, the report found broad support for more affordable fares, more accessible toilets, accurate and up-to-date accessible information, and being able to contact someone for support. Non-users particularly wanted more help points around stations. People who had experienced anxiety or sensory overload were more likely to want dedicated accessible quiet spaces. One caution the authors give: comparisons with an earlier 2020 study should be treated carefully, because of minor differences in questionnaire design and research panels. The direction of travel is considered robust; the precise scale of change is not.

Qurexa perspective

We deliver medicines to people's homes, and a lot of our customers are exactly the people this research is about — people whose health makes a journey harder than the map suggests. The finding that struck us most is the one about replacement services. It is one thing to have a journey delayed. It is another to have your only accessible route removed while you are already out of the house. That is the thinking behind delivery. A journey you do not have to make cannot be cancelled on you. If your medicines arrive at the door, one item comes off the list of things that can go wrong on a bad day. We want to be careful not to overstate that. Delivery does not address the reason this research exists. Disabled people should be able to get on a train and go where they want, and a pharmacy service is no substitute for that. But while the railway improves, removing an unnecessary trip is something practical we can actually do.

Practical advice

The report found real gaps in awareness of schemes that already exist. These are the ones worth knowing. 1. Get a Disabled Persons Railcard if you are eligible. It is the best known of the schemes tested, and the research still found room to increase both awareness and take-up among eligible people. It gives a third off most fares for you and an adult companion. Given that cost is the biggest single barrier in this research, this is the highest-value action available. 2. Know that Passenger Assist does not have to be pre-booked. This was specifically identified as the scheme people are least aware of. You can request help on the day, at the station. Pre-booking makes it smoother, but turning up is allowed. 3. Use the Passenger Assistance app or call the assistance line to book ahead if you can. Booking is free and can be done for any part of a journey — boarding, changing, or getting off. 4. Ask specifically about what happens if there is disruption. When you book assistance, ask what the accessible alternative is if the train is cancelled. Getting that answer in advance is far easier than getting it on a cold platform. 5. If you need a quiet space, ask. Some stations have them, and staff can often find somewhere away from crowds even where there is no formal facility. 6. If staff do not recognise your needs, say so afterwards. Every operator has a complaints process, and operators are measured on accessibility performance. This research shows those experiences change whether people travel again — which makes reporting them worth the effort. 7. Plan the whole journey, including getting to the station. The report notes that reaching the station is itself a challenge, and it is the part most often left out of planning.

What to know

Only 60% of disabled people in Great Britain had used rail in the previous 18 months, against 79% of non-disabled people. But those who do travel use it about as often as anyone else, with 24% travelling weekly. Cost is the biggest barrier. Just 37% of disabled users think rail is affordable, and ticket prices either prevent or significantly discourage travel for 56% of disabled users and 65% of disabled non-users. Unreliability is the second barrier, and it bites harder for disabled passengers: delays and cancellations, including inaccessible replacement services, are a significant barrier for 44% of users and 61% of non-users. Disabled users hit barriers far more often overall — 76%, against 61% of non-disabled users — and a past experience of staff not recognising their needs reduces confidence to travel again. Two things are worth acting on today. If you are eligible for a Disabled Persons Railcard and do not have one, get one. And remember that Passenger Assist can be requested on the day without pre-booking — the scheme people are least aware of. Sources: Department for Transport, 'Exploring disabled people’s use and experiences of rail in Great Britain', 24 September 2026, https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/exploring-disabled-peoples-use-and-experiences-of-rail-in-great-britain ; Thinks Insight & Strategy for the Department for Transport, 'Exploring disabled people’s use and experiences of rail in Great Britain' (full report, January 2026), https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/6ab28547fe72ed1e2b02ee92/exploring-disabled_-peoples-use-experiences-rail-in-great-britain-gb.pdf ; National Rail, 'Passenger Assist', https://www.nationalrail.co.uk/stations-and-destinations/passenger-assist/ This article is for general information and does not replace advice from a doctor, pharmacist or other qualified healthcare professional.

#accessible travel#rail#disability#Passenger Assist#Disabled Persons Railcard#DfT

Related articles