A woman is refusing to travel with Merseyrail after a "terrible experience" at Moorfields Station.
She said she was shocked, embarrassed and humiliated when station staff approached her as she made her way home from an afternoon in Liverpool. The woman in her 30s, who asked not to be named, told the ECHO: "I was told they had been observing my movement and was deemed unfit to travel. I was completely shocked at first, I didn't really know how to respond."
The woman is registered disabled and "unsteady" on her feet due to having arthritis, as well as a hip replacement. But station staff on Saturday, February 4, didn't initially ask if she had a disability when they stopped her, according to the woman she was "accused of being drunk". She said: "They were very dismissive about my disability and seeing my blue badge. I was so embarrassed and humiliated.
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"I told them to view the CCTV of me arriving at the station around 1pm and they would have seen there wasn't much difference in my walk. I could not believe that they immediately made an assumption that I was drunk without asking if I need assistance or if I had a disability."
A Merseyrail's spokesperson said: "Merseyrail station staff are trained in our clear TravelSafe policy, which ensures the safety of passengers travelling on our network as well as our staff.
"Our staff are also trained to identify hidden disabilities as part of this. Staff use this training and their judgement based on what they can see and hear in the moment to make a decision. This is often a very difficult decision to make.
"In this particular case, we are satisfied that a senior manager when asked by a colleague, reassessed the situation and cleared the passenger to travel. The passenger was accompanied to the platform to ensure she safely boarded her train. We are committed to the best care possible for our passengers and apologise for any upset that may have been caused."
The passenger said: "Better staff training is required there to prevent anyone who has a mobility issue being accused of being drunk. I have suffered for nearly 20 years, since the age of 19. Having a deteriorating disease that massively affects your day-to-day life has taken me years to come to terms with.
"Never have I ever had anything negative happen like this for being disabled. It has had a detrimental affect on me and it's unlikely that I will ever travel with Merseyrail again."
The ECHO understands such interventions are made by station staff in part due to the potential danger of train stations. This is particularly the case on platforms where passengers are at risk of falling onto tracks or missing the step onto trains.
Stations in Merseyside, mostly built in the 1800s before builders were required to factor in accessibility requirements, are full of steps to platforms and gaps between platforms and trains. More than two thirds of the local rail network now have step-free access to the platform, but only three stations operated by Merseyrail also have a gap of less than 200mm from platform to train.
One of these stations is Aughton Park, the last stop before Ormskirk. One person described it as having "sheer sides where the engineers cut down to make the track", with just a steep staircase to access it. They said: "Anyone with mobility issues would find it extremely difficult and a wheelchair user I am certain would find it impassable."
Two of the rail operator's stations – Aigburth and Rice Lane – have no step-free access to any platform and also have a gap of more than 400mm.
Larger stations like Liverpool Lime Street are more accessible, according to Dave Kelly, founder of Daisy Inclusive UK, a disability charity based in Everton. He told the ECHO: "If I wanted to go to Euston [from Lime Street], I can phone up [Lime Street] and say, 'Listen, I'm visually impaired, can I have assistance?', and 19 out of 20 times, they'll be there and assist you."
Some smaller stations have no lifts or ramps to the platform, and may not have staff immediately available to assist passengers. Struggling to access public transport – due to building design, staffing, and people's attitudes – can knock the confidence of people with disabilities and make them stay in, according to Dave, who said: "That's where a lot of isolation comes from, because of lack of accessibility."
His ideal station would have no gaps between platform and train, would have tactile surfaces, colour contrasted markings and artificial light to help visually impaired people around, and would have trains that announce the next stop.
It would also have staff on hand to provide information and assistance, and to prevent or intervene in hate crime incidents. Dave said: "Train journeys should be comfortable and safe, it just takes a little bit of investment".
Passengers across Merseyside will soon benefit from upgrades on the Merseyrail network, which the rail operator hopes will make it "the UK's first step-free rail network by the end of the decade". This includes a £500m investment in new, step-free trains, with steps equipped with ultrasonic sensors allowing it to slide up to 400mm to the correct point, even in stations with curved platforms.
The first of the state-of-the-art Class 777 trains due to replace Merseyrail's existing stock welcomed passengers for the first time in January. The rest of the trains will be rolled out across the network over the next 12 months or more, after being held up since the deal was signed in 2016. This was partly due to disputes over driver-only operations, with deals since made with unions to have a train manager on board.
Since August, Merseyrail has installed new lifts on each platform at Birkenhead Park, Hillside and Hunts Cross. Construction of two new lifts is currently underway at St Michaels, with work soon to start on a new lift at Central. The work is funded by the Department for Transport, Merseyrail, Network Rail and MerseyTravel.
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