Fewer than half of Greater Manchester’s 96 railway stations are accessible. As part of our #GMRailAccess campaign, we carried out a scoping activity to identify which stations near Together Trust services are accessible and where improvements are most needed. 

In late 2022, we partnered with grassroots campaigner Nathaniel Yates to build momentum around the issue of rail accessibility. Through blogs, social media and wider community engagement, we raised awareness and encouraged public support.  

We invited people to share photos of inaccessible train stations and tag relevant stakeholders using the hashtag #GMRailAccess to highlight the scale of the problem.  

Alongside this, we signed and promoted petitions and helped amplify the voices of other organisations already leading on this issue, including Leonard Cheshire and the National Federation of the Blind UK (NFBUK). 

In March 2023, we were contacted by a Governor at Bridge College who also works for Atkins, the engineering firm that led the 2021 accessibility audit of Ashburys train station. Atkins had previously recommended vital upgrades to bring the station in line with Access for All standards.  

Drawing on connections from across our organisation, we offered support in an advisory capacity to help strengthen the case for improvements and highlight the impact on the disabled community. 

In July 2025, we met with London Northwestern and West Midlands Trains to explore ways of working together on accessible transport. We agreed to support each other in promoting and developing this important work. 

In July 2023, we responded to the national consultation on ticket office closures. We created an easy-to-use tool that enabled people to submit formal objections to their relevant passenger body, which led to almost 600 objection letters being sent across the country.  

In November 2023, the Government announced they would be scrapping the plans to close rail ticket offices in England.  

In October 2023, students from Bridge College met with Andy Burnham to raise local issues as part of their ‘Bridge Gives Back’ community initiatives. They were joined by grassroots campaigner Nathaniel Yates and our former campaigns manager to highlight the urgent need for accessibility improvements at Ashburys train station. In response, Andy Burnham committed to raising their concerns with Manchester City Council. 

In January 2024, our campaigns team visited Bridge College alongside campaigner Nathaniel Yates to kickstart our work on making the local Ashburys train station accessible. Nathaniel inspired our students by sharing how he had secured funding for his local station, Reddish North. You can read more about his campaign here.

Ashburys train station is only 0.3 miles away from Bridge College, yet it remains inaccessible. During our visit, students told us they were travelling by taxi or school bus to college and expressed the unfairness of facing this barrier.  We will continue to support Nathaniel’s efforts and work together to ensure accessibility is at the heart of this vision. 

In April 2024, we joined campaigner Nathaniel Yates at the My Vote, My Voice hustings, hosted by United Response.

Disabled people still face barriers to voting, such as jargon-filled manifestos, inaccessible polling stations, and photo ID rules. 

Four Greater Manchester Mayoral candidates shared their plans and answered questions from over 60 self-advocates about issues affecting disabled people. Nathaniel also spoke to the BBC about his campaign for better rail accessibility. 

For UK Disability History Month in November 2024, we spoke with grassroots campaigner Nathaniel Yates about his fight for accessible train stations in Greater Manchester. At Levenshulme station; set to get step-free access by 2028 through the Bee Network, Nathaniel shared his campaigning journey. Watch the video: https://youtu.be/sfjrUg-kmU8 

In March 2025, our Comms and Marketing Manager Sophie and Policy and Campaigns Manager Styliana attended Sector 3’s Meet, Greet and Grow event for the VCFSE sector in Stockport. 

The event opened with grassroots campaigner Nathaniel Yates sharing his fight for accessible stations. 

Sophie and Styliana ran a workshop on Campaigning with Limited Resources, using #GMRailAccess as a case study to show how community action, partnerships, and strong communications can create impact with limited funding. 

In May 2025, we became members of the North West Disability Regional Stakeholder Network (RSN) and attend meetings. The RSN ensures that disabled people and sector professionals have a routine route to discuss the issues affecting them in their region, while also feeding directly into strands of government-led work.  

It has been a valuable platform for us to highlight the barriers faced by the people we support and to influence change at a regional level. 

As part of our efforts to push the issue of rail accessibility further, we began identifying key supporters and engaging with policymakers.  

In March 2023, we responded to the accessible transport inquiry. The inquiry aimed to find ways to make different modes of transport, public and private, more accessible to disabled people and those with access needs. You can read our full response here. 

In April 2023, we sent letters to both Andy Burnham and Lucy Powell MP, drawing attention to the longstanding accessibility challenges at local rail stations and urging action. 

In July 2023, we met directly with Andy Burnham alongside campaigner Nathaniel Yates to discuss the impact of proposed ticket office closures. The meeting focused on how we could work together to oppose the proposals and ensure disabled passengers are not further excluded from vital public transport. 

Shortlisted for ‘Inspiring Campaign’  

We are delighted to announce that our #GMRailAccess campaign, supporting activist Nathaniel Yates, has been shortlisted for ‘Inspiring Campaign’ at the Spirit of Manchester Awards 2025! 

Through this campaign, more disabled people can access the freedoms that come with improved community links, including greater social and work opportunities. The awards ceremony will take place in October 2025.