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Biggleswade Lifts Update – 25.11.24
This afternoon we met with Network Rail to discuss the latest news on the scheme to install lifts at Biggleswade station. This project,...
Julian Vaughan
Nov 25, 20243 min read
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Step-free and ‘Appendix B’
As Chair of the ‘Bedfordshire Rail Access Network’, I was recently contacted by Network Rail as part of a public consultation into...
Julian Vaughan
Nov 15, 20245 min read
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‘Lifts for Hexham station’ Q & A
One hundred and eighty-nine years on from when the station first opened, it is time that Hexham railway station was accessible to...
Julian Vaughan
Sep 24, 20244 min read
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Biggleswade step-free update – 7th Sep 2024
On Wednesday 4th September we had the latest meeting with Network Rail regarding progress (or lack of it) towards a step-free Biggleswade...
Julian Vaughan
Sep 7, 20244 min read
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Starmer, Rail Accessibility, and Tanni GT
It was great to hear Keir Starmer talk about rail accessibility being a ‘basic requirement’ following the dreadful experience Tanni...
Julian Vaughan
Sep 1, 20243 min read
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A decade of step-free delay
In 2015, Sir Peter Hendy, now Lord Hendy and currently Minister of State for Rail, was appointed as Chair of Network Rail and tasked to...
Julian Vaughan
Aug 9, 20245 min read
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‘Access for All’ Biggleswade – July 2024 Update
Today, Wednesday 24th July, we met once again with Network Rail and local stakeholders including local Councillors and local MP, Richard...
Julian Vaughan
Jul 24, 20245 min read
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Can we afford not to have an accessible railway?
On 24th May the Department for Transport announced the railway stations set to benefit from the latest round of ‘Access for All’ (AfA)...
Julian Vaughan
Jul 16, 20244 min read
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ASLEF union backs UK rail accessibility!
As a campaigner for rail accessibility, a train driver and a proud member of the ASLEF union, I am delighted that yesterday ASLEF adopted...
Julian Vaughan
May 22, 20244 min read
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Lifts at Biggleswade delayed until Summer 2025
Biggleswade station, located on the East Coast Mainline in Bedfordshire, and a growing commuter town, was awarded ‘Access for All’...
Julian Vaughan
May 9, 20243 min read
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An open letter to Network Rail CEO Andrew Haines
In April 2019 Biggleswade station was awarded ‘Access for All’ funding to provide lifts at the station . Five years on the much delayed...
Julian Vaughan
May 3, 20245 min read
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Actions not words needed on rail accessibility
There is much to unpack from yesterday’s House of Commons Public Accounts Committee hearing discussing UK rail reform. The Committee...
Julian Vaughan
Apr 30, 20245 min read
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White Lines (Don’t Do it) feat. Central Beds Council
From recent evidence, it seems that Central Bedfordshire Council views road markings as a ‘nice to have’, rather than a vital aspect of...
Julian Vaughan
Mar 27, 20247 min read
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GTR’s answers to Arlesey/Biggleswade RUG questions
Recently, representatives from the Arlesey and Biggleswade rail user groups attended a meeting that we had called to discuss the poor...
Julian Vaughan
Dec 14, 202313 min read
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Are planning conditions worth the paper they are written on?
I will hold a hand up and say that up until a few weeks ago I did not know a great deal about planning conditions and S106 funding...
Julian Vaughan
Dec 7, 202311 min read
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Access for All – mind the equality gap
The ‘Access for All’ scheme to improve the accessibility of the UK’s train stations was introduced in 2006. To date, it has enabled...
Julian Vaughan
Nov 21, 20234 min read
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Ticket Office Closures Q&As
Due to the threat of legal action by disability activists and a number of metro mayors, the 21-day consultation window on the Rail...
Julian Vaughan
Aug 1, 20237 min read
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Ticket Office Closures Q&As
Due to the threat of legal action by disability activists and a number of metro mayors, the 21-day consultation window on the Rail...
Julian Vaughan
Aug 1, 20237 min read
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0 comments


Ticket Office closures – the truth behind the spin
On the 5th of July, the Rail Delivery Group announced a 21-day consultation exercise regarding their proposals to close just short of...
Julian Vaughan
Jul 9, 20236 min read
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Ticket Office closures – the truth behind the spin
On the 5th of July, the Rail Delivery Group announced a 21-day consultation exercise regarding their proposals to close just short of...
Julian Vaughan
Jul 9, 20236 min read
2 views
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