Keith Roads takes his rail access fight to the Court of Appeal

Keith Roads, who uses a wheelchair, challenged Central Trains because he could not get to the other side of the track at Thetford station in Norfolk.

A county court judge backed the firm when it refused to offer him a taxi to get around the problem.

But the Court of Appeal overturned the decision on Friday.

Mr Roads originally took Central Trains to court in March claiming the firm should provide specially adapted taxis to shuttle him and other wheelchair users to platform one.

Only a footbridge links the two platforms and access to Norwich-bound trains can only be managed in a wheelchair by travelling half a mile along country roads.

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Central Trains, former station owners, offered disabled passengers free travel to Ely, 30 miles away, where they could cross the tracks, change trains and then travel back in the opposite direction.

Norwich County Court decided the offer was sufficient and rejected Mr Roads' claim.

On Friday Lord Justice Sedley said it was unreasonable to expect Mr Roads to travel in the opposite direction just to catch a train back again.

"If the inconvenience of going to Ely is not an inconvenience an able-bodied passenger would have to put up with, then why should Mr Roads?" he said.

He added the ruling was limited to Mr Roads' case and would not set a precedent.

Mr Roads said he was delighted with the victory but disappointed the judgement would not have a more wide-reaching impact.

"It's great news we have won and now this case has been successful, hopefully future disabled people will say, hang on, that Roads chap managed to do something, so can I," he said.

Mr Roads was also awarded by the Court of Appeal �1,097 damages for discrimination.