Accessible, reliable and inclusive transport is essential for everyone to live full and independent lives. However, many disabled and neurodivergent people cannot use trains because stations are not accessible. This means people are being excluded from a vital public service that should legally be available to everyone.
Our feedback to the Greater Manchester Transport Strategy and Delivery Plan is grounded in lived‑experience insights from across the Together Trust. This includes feedback from colleagues who took part in an internal survey, as well as views shared by students during workshops at Bridge College and Inscape House School.
Read the full response here:
Why rail accessibility matters to the people we support
Across Greater Manchester, several stations near Together Trust services remain inaccessible – including Ashburys, Reddish South, Woodsmoor, Davenport, Brinnington, Patricroft and Eccles.
Even where stations are step‑free; such as Stockport, Cheadle and Romiley (partially accessible), additional barriers remain, including:
- steep or indirect routes
- limited staff support
- unreliable services
- high fares, particularly outside the GM boundary
- a lack of sensory‑considerate spaces
For the disabled and neurodivergent people we support, accessibility isn’t a ‘‘nice to have’’ – it is essential for safety, independence and equal participation in community life.
Images drawn by Inscape House School students
What colleagues and young people told us
Our internal survey of Together Trust colleagues and our workshops with students highlight several consistent themes:
Inclusive, affordable and reliable transport is the top priority
Colleagues ranked ‘‘inclusive and affordable’’ as their highest priority, followed closely by reliability. Many of the people we support cannot use their local station at all due to steep steps or unpredictable services.
“Some young people do not travel by train because the local station does not have step-free access.“
Bridge College colleague
Human support is essential
Students at Inscape House School emphasised that:
- human staff presence provides reassurance in overwhelming situations
- automation can increase anxiety
- predictable environments and clear signage are vital
- sensory‑friendly spaces and quiet areas make travel feel safer
High fares and unreliable services limit independence
Even at step‑free stations like Stockport, colleagues reported that inconsistent timetables and expensive fares prevent disabled people from travelling independently.
“Costs are too high for train travel to be a regular form of transport our young people are able to use.“
Newbridge Centre colleague
Where we welcome progress
We welcome the inclusion of Reddish North and Levenshulme train stations in the plan for step‑free access. Since 2022, we’ve been working closely with grassroots campaigner Nathaniel Yates, who brings powerful lived experience of disability and has campaigned tirelessly for accessibility at these and other train stations. His involvement began after sustaining a serious injury in 2018 when he fell down the stairs at Reddish North.
We strongly support these schemes being completed in full and delivered without delay.
We welcome the inclusion of several train stations near our services in the Delivery Plan.
Ashburys and Reddish South must be prioritised
We are deeply concerned that two key stations near Together Trust services remain without step‑free access and are missing from the Delivery Plan:
- Ashburys – the nearest station to Bridge College, just 0.3 miles away – is completely inaccessible, preventing disabled young people from using it.
- Reddish South, close to our Norvent service, also lacks step‑free access and remains overlooked in current plans.
Both stations serve communities that rely on accessible transport. They must be prioritised for future upgrades. Students and colleagues described the exclusion of Ashburys as:
- unfair,
- a barrier to education and community life,
- and ultimately a human rights issue.
Closing thoughts
Children, young people and adults who use our services want to travel, take part in their communities and live independently, but the transport system needs to work for them.
We want to see the train stations near our services made fully accessible. We’re committed to working with councils, transport partners and other stakeholders to ensure the plan reflects the needs of disabled and neurodivergent people.
Next steps
The consultation closed on 9 March 2026.
Transport for Greater Manchester has confirmed that they will carefully review all responses and consider how they should inform updates to the Greater Manchester Transport Strategy 2050 and the Delivery Plan.
They have noted that a summary of consultation findings and next steps will be published on their website in due course.
Join our efforts to make train stations in Greater Manchester accessible
If you’re affected by the inaccessibility of any of the train stations listed above, we’d love to hear from you.
Please contact us at styliana.pasiardi@togethertrust.org.uk so we can make sure your experiences help inform our work to influence change – and support the push to make these stations accessible for everyone.
Other ways to get involved
- Sign up for our campaign updates to stay informed about the SEND reforms and our wider policy work.
- Share this blog on social media and tag Together Trust to help raise awareness.
- Check our website news for updates and other opportunities to take part.
