I think this is a problem which should not be solved by the rail industry alone

Bill Ure, Rail Users Committee

Disabled train passenger Peter Ingram Monk described how he was forced to sit in the passenger entrance during a train journey to Lockerbie because the interior door was too small for his wheelchair.

He told how he had to travel to Carlisle because he could not use the footbridge leading from the southbound platform at Lockerbie to the station entrance on the north - a diversion which added more than one hour to his journey.

He said: "I expected to be able, once I was aboard, to be able to sit with everyone else in the normal way.

"It's not the way we should be treated."

Mr Ingram Monk said he was far from happy with the situation but had learned to live with disappointment.

He said: "Being the age I am, I'm probably prepared to accommodate it. I've been disabled for over 50 years.

'Historical reasons'

"But for younger people today who have greater expectations, this isn't tolerable at all."

The frustrations felt by Scotland's 40,000 wheelchair users are shared by the Rail Passengers Committee.

However, chairman Bill Ure thinks that it is a problem which is not the sole responsibility of the industry.

Wheelchair access is a problem for many

"I think that there are many parts of Britain's railways, which for historical reasons, leave a lot to be desired for people with disabilities," he said.

"I think this is a problem which should not be solved by the rail industry alone.

"If society says that people with any disabilities should be able to enjoy the full range of facilities and access what everyone else does, society should work with the rail industry - society in the form of government."

Mr Ure said that "every pound" invested by the industry should be matched by the government.

He added: "To make the network fully accessible would cost just over �1bn."

Parliamentary question

Railtrack has pledged to find a solution to the problems at Lockerbie but says it does not have the �500,000 - �700,000 it would take to construct a ramp bridge at the station.

South of Scotland Conservative MSP, David Mundell, raised the issue in the Scottish Parliament last November.

But in a written answer to his question Transport Minister Sarah Boyack said: "Legislation on disability discrimination is a reserved matter.

"However, the Scottish Executive is in regular contact with Railtrack and the train operating companies on improving access to rail services in Scotland.

"I understand that Railtrack is working closely with Dumfries and Galloway Council on securing disabled access at Lockerbie station."