Research and analysis

Exploring disabled people’s use and experiences of rail in Great Britain

Research that provides an evidence base on disabled people’s rail use and identifies opportunities to improve rail accessibility across Great Britain.

• From: Department for Transport
• Published: 24 September 2026

Applies to England, Scotland and Wales

Documents

Exploring disabled people’s use and experiences of rail in Great Britain

PDF, 2.55 MB, 143 pages

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Exploring disabled people’s use and experiences of rail in Great Britain: (BSL version) executive summary

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Exploring disabled people’s use and experiences of rail in Great Britain (Easy Read version)

PDF, 8.24 MB, 17 pages

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Exploring disabled people’s use and experiences of rail in Great Britain (Audio version): executive summary

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Exploring disabled people’s use and experiences of rail in Great Britain: animation

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Exploring disabled people’s use and experiences of rail in Great Britain: infographic PDF

PDF, 283 KB, 1 page

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Details

The report summarises research into how disabled people use the rail network in Great Britain and the barriers they face. It provides:

• insights into passengers’ confidence
• perceived barriers to rail use
• awareness of support schemes
• what improvements would help more disabled people travel by rail

It involved a quantitative survey of 6,000 adults across Great Britain, conducted between May and July 2025.

Thinks Insight and Strategy has conducted this research on behalf of the Department for Transport.

See DfT’s roadmap to an accessible railway for more information on actions taken to address barriers for disabled passengers and improve the accessibility of rail travel across Great Britain.

Published 24 September 2026