My Lords, I believe this is the most important group of amendments today because it has passengers at the core. I have added my name to three amendments because I am so convinced that the comment made earlier about the lack of focus on passengers in the current fragmented rail system has done so much damage to the rail industry.
When things go wrong—and things go wrong all the time—the train operators spend their time deciding whether it is their fault or Network Rail’s fault, instead of concentrating on putting it right for the passengers. To my mind, this is the obvious way ahead. I remind noble Lords that we live in an ageing society and the railway has to operate for all.
Not all disabled people are in wheelchairs. When I get on trains, I watch people who are capable of walking being helped by staff, or by other passengers, to get on the train because it is difficult. It must be made easier. Once it is made easier, you give people confidence; once you give them confidence, they become train passengers much more willingly.
I broaden it even further. The noble Lord, Lord Moynihan, referred to people who have a visual impairment—quite rightly. I wish to raise the issue of people with hearing impairment. I have 30% hearing. I wear hearing aids, which improve that considerably, but they do not bring me anything like up to normal standard. Unfortunately, one recent Saturday evening I was at Paddington station for over four hours, while
no trains ran. Announcements were constantly given only over the loudspeakers. Every time a loudspeaker announcement was made, I had to go up to someone and say, “Can you just tell me what he said?” Of course, people were basically in a panic and they were not doing it clearly. Eventually they gave up and said that no trains would run to Wales at all that evening. But the point I am making is that, over four hours, that situation took no account at all of people who could not hear clearly.
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Great Western Railway added insult to injury when I claimed for a refund by telling me I had been delayed by less than an hour—on an evening when no trains ran. But that is another story.
I emphasise that care of the passenger should be at the heart of the railway industry. There is no reason at all why our railways should not make a dramatic improvement in the way in which they care for passengers.
Of course, there is a basic and urgent requirement for improvement in ticketing. I was concerned to read in the Minister’s very useful letter that progress seems to await the establishment of Great British Railways. I would be grateful if he could clarify for us what, if anything, can be done before Great British Railways is formally set up to improve the ticketing system. Problems with ticketing include the fragmentation—the variation from one company to another—and surely there are massive improvements that can be sorted before we have wholesale nationalisation.
Let us remind ourselves that the public feel very strongly about this. I am sure that noble Lords remember the consultation last year when the previous Government persuaded the train operators to float the idea of closing ticket offices. There was a massive backlash and the idea had to be dropped. If only ticketing could be significantly improved, and if only there could be really simple but basic improvements to the way our trains cater for people with a variety of disabilities, our railways would be very much more popular and profitable. That would solve one of the Government’s problems.
The Government quite rightly want urgent improvement on the railways. There is no reason why a focus on passengers should not be a big step towards that improvement. I urge the Government to amend the Bill to specify legal obligations with respect to disability access. We on these Benches give notice that we may well return to this on Report.