Football journeys inspire disability rail changes

A disability activist whose campaign for dedicated waiting areas at railway stations began after difficult journeys to football matches, has helped introduce the scheme at dozens of locations.

Cameron Wood first suggested the idea to West Midlands Railway (WMR) in 2023 after struggling to access assistance on crowded station platforms.

The blue-marked waiting spaces have now been installed at more than 35 stations across the network, including Telford Central, Worcester Foregate Street, Coventry Arena, Kenilworth, Tile Hill and Birmingham.

"When we started this nearly three years ago, nobody knew whether it was going to work or not," Wood said. "But people have been brilliant about it."

The spaces provide a clearly marked location where passengers who require assistance can wait to be met by train crew or station staff before boarding services.

Other stations to benefit include Lichfield and Redditch.

Wood, from Hereford, who has cerebral palsy and hydrocephalus, said the idea came from his experiences of travelling to Aston Villa matches.

"This all started as a result of me going to Aston Villa's matches, and I was fed up of getting consumed on the platforms by fellow supporters," he told BBC Radio Shropshire.

"I decided to take matters into my own hands and speak to the railways and get somewhere where we would be seen on the platforms."

He said many of the stations he used were not staffed, meaning disabled passengers often relied on train crews for assistance.

"It got to the point where the platforms were congested, so I didn't know where to wait," he said.

"I wanted to give disabled people somewhere visible to wait, so that they know that they can board their trains safely with the support of staff."

Wood said feedback from passengers had been positive since the scheme was introduced.

WMR said the waiting spaces were installed at the chosen stations using factors including passenger footfall and the number of assistance requests they received each year.

The operator said it provided assistance to more than 56,000 customers in 2025.

Hannah Cotton-Diederich, accessibility strategy and projects manager at WMR, said: "Working with Cameron has just been amazing.

"One of the key things that we need more of in the industry is customers sharing their experiences with us, so we can actually make real improvements.

"It's a really simple idea, but with such a big difference."

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