Inclusivity driving the designs of East West Rail’s stations  

  • Disabled people from EWR’s Accessibility Advisory Panel visited Bedford, Bletchley, and Bicester Village stations to identify inclusive facilities and common barriers to access 
  • The EWR design team joined visits to gather first-hand feedback 
  • Feedback from people with lived experience of disabilities will inform station designs to help build a modern, accessible railway that works for everyone 

Members of East West Railway Company’s Accessibility Advisory Panel (AAP) are helping to future-proof the inclusive design of the project after visiting stations still to be built or remodelled along the proposed route to assess facilities for disabled passengers. 

Members of the panel, who have various disabilities, visited Bedford, Bletchley, and Bicester Village stations to provide feedback on issues such as layout, signage, navigation, and the overall passenger experience with the visits highlighting both accessibility challenges and examples of facilities that already meet disabled people’s needs. 

The Accessibility Advisory Panel was established to ensure the voices of disabled passengers are central to the design process of the railway and reflects EWR Co’s commitment to designing a railway that is inclusive for all.  

Mary Doyle, Co-Chair of EWR Co’s Accessibility Advisory Panel, and independent inclusive transport consultant, said: “It’s vital that our new stations are shaped by the voices of disabled people. Barriers to travel don’t come from impairments, they come from poor design, processes and attitudes. We have a once in a generation opportunity and duty to build a railway that will last for 200 years which truly includes everyone, right from the start. 

“We must get it right now through an inclusive design culture and make it flexible enough for all people who are disabled, neurodivergent or older so they can travel with confidence, consistency and dignity. East West Rail are aiming to be the accessibility gold standard and bring joy back to rail.” 

Members of EWR Co’s architectural and design teams, along with representatives from EWR principal designer MWJV— a joint venture between WSP and Mott MacDonald - joined the station visits. Their participation allowed them to engage directly with the panel members’ lived experiences and gather meaningful, first-hand insights to help shape the inclusive design of future stations on EWR and across the wider rail industry. 

Laura Lewis, Human Factors and Inclusive Design Lead for EWR, said: “We valued hearing directly from people with lived experience of being disabled, which helped us understand what works and what does not work at today’s stations. These insights are essential to shaping more inclusive designs.  

“It was powerful having our design team on-site with us. Seeing the impact of designs first-hand should enable them to put themselves in the shoes of disabled people and to develop more accessible solutions.” 

Trevor Wilson, Building and Stations Architect at EWR Co, said: “It’s essential that station design keeps pace with and reflects the needs of the 21st century. It’s clear that many stations on the UK rail network still require significant attention; while facilities may exist, they’re often not fit for purpose or aligned with modern expectations. 

“It’s crucial that the feedback from the AAP visits is taken seriously, so we can consider developing new standards for future stations—ensuring they meet the needs of everyone who travels through them.” 

Ruben Santos, Architect for the EWR project, said: “We were delighted to engage with the East West Rail Accessibility Advisory Panel and experience first-hand some of the challenges that disabled people face at stations. It’s crucial for us as designers to understand the obstacles that prevent everyone from having an equal experience; exercises like these are vital to our approach, with our core value of being people-focused, putting the everyday human experience at the starting point of our design.  

“We’re proud to continue to develop designs on the new East West Rail stations that follow the project's key principles of creating welcoming, intuitive, and inclusive stations.” 

The station visits build on previous work by the AAP after it created a list of priority issues for disabled rail passengers. 

East West Rail, along with Network Rail, HS2 and Transport for London, is organising the Watford Conference in London, from 21-24 September 2025. The conference, which coincides with the bicentenary of the railways in the UK, aims to develop and maintain the highest quality of railway related design through the interchange of ideas across international boundaries. Further details are available at Watford Conference 2025 – Railway 200.

Ends 

 

Media assets 

Images from the station visits accompany the release. 

Notes to Editor 

  • MWJV are the principal designer for EWR Co. This is a partnership between firms Mott MacDonald and WSP and includes Lead Architect WW+P. The partnership underlines EWR’s commitment to safety, collaboration, and excellence in project delivery and will help drive forward the next scheme development phase of the programme to build a new railway between Oxford and Cambridge. 
  • The Accessibility Advisory Panel is made up of 12 local residents from across the route and is thought to be the first of its kind considering inclusive design issues at the outset of building a new railway. The Panel’s full list of priority issues is detailed in a separate document available on request. 
  • More information on EWR’s Accessibility Advisory Panel and EWR Co’s inclusion policies can be found here. 

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About the East West Rail Project 

The East West Rail Project is a once in a generation opportunity to connect people and businesses between Oxford, Milton Keynes, Bedford and Cambridge through a new direct rail line. It is a railway with community at its heart that will open up new journeys, cut travel times, and ease congestion on local roads. The route will connect people to the things and places that matter, bringing local benefit and sustainable growth by unlocking the social and economic potential of the area. 

The East West Rail Project will be delivered in three Connection Stages:  

  • Connection Stage One: Oxford to Bletchley and Milton Keynes  
  • Connection Stage Two: Oxford to Bedford  
  • Connection Stage Three: Oxford to Cambridge  

Network Rail was responsible for developing the first part of Connection Stage One, connecting Oxford with Bicester before the East West Rail Company (EWR co) was set up.  Since 2018, EWR Co and Network Rail have partnered in a construction alliance, East West Rail Alliance, to complete Connection Stage One. EWR Co and Network Rail are acting as the Department for Transport’s joint sponsors.  

To deliver Connection Stage 2 and Connection Stage 3 a new railway needs to be constructed between Bedford and Cambridge and associated works are needed between Oxford and Bedford to upgrade and refurbish the existing railway infrastructure. EWR Co proposes to make an application to the Secretary of State for a Development Consent Order (DCO) to permit the construction and operation of these works.  

About the East West Railway Company  

The East West Railway Company (EWR Co) is a non-departmental public body with limited company status set up by the Secretary of State for Transport in 2018 to deliver the East West Rail (EWR) Project.    

EWR Co aims to bring fresh thinking to the Project, challenging the industry status quo, leading to more efficient and cost-effective project delivery and better outcomes for the communities in and around the Project.  

The corridor, which runs from Oxford through Milton Keynes and Bedford to Cambridge, is an economic artery that makes the UK a global leader in life sciences, technology and innovation, with the potential to create jobs, drive growth and attract investment for the entire country. EWR Co’s ambition is to unlock the full potential of this region that is vital to keeping the UK globally competitive in a way that considers the environment and offers value for taxpayers.