Request ID: FOI-1880-2122 Date published: 07 December 2021
You asked
I hold a disabled persons freedom pass and I am a full time wheelchair user. I live in west london (london borough Hillingdon)
I ask, can I use my freedom pass to travel west bound from west Drayton station? I know I can go east bound to Paddington.
Also in the past I have gone on the underground in london and had requested a ramp to get off at mr home station but not there, luckily I only live one stop from the end of the line and the service terminates at Uxbridge.
Will all platforms be level with the trains so wheelchair users will not require a manual ramp to get off the trains?
We answered
TfL Ref: FOI-1880-2122
Thank you for your request received by Transport for London (TfL) on 17th November 2021 asking for information about the Freedom pass.
Your request has been considered in accordance with the requirements of the Freedom of Information Act and our information access policy.
Specifically you asked:
“I hold a disabled persons freedom pass and I am a full time wheelchair user. I live in west london (london borough Hillingdon). I ask, can I use my freedom pass to travel west bound from west Drayton station? I know I can go east bound to Paddington.
Also in the past I have gone on the underground in london and had requested a ramp to get off at mr home station but not there, luckily I only live one stop from the end of the line and the service terminates at Uxbridge. Will all platforms be level with the trains so wheelchair users will not require a manual ramp to get off the trains?”.
I can confirm that we hold the information you require.
In answer to your first question, the following website page shows all services on which a Disabled Persons Freedom Pass can be used:
The Freedom Pass is accepted on TfL Rail services west of Reading (but note that it is not accepted on GWR trains on the same route) and this will continue when the service is rebranded as the Elizabeth line.
In answer to your second question, parts of the Elizabeth line will run on new, dedicated lines, and where this is the case we will provide level access from platform to train. However, on the other parts of the route – out to Shenfield in the east and to Reading in the west - our trains use the existing tracks that were already built, and which are used by a variety of different trains. Where our trains are the only ones that operate (or at Heathrow where there are very limited types of trains) it is possible to achieve level access between the platform and trains. Where our trains run on existing Network Rail tracks sharing the same lines as other services, including freight trains, it is not feasible to provide level boarding, because all of the trains have historically been built to different sizes. Even if the platforms, which vary in height from station to station and platform to platform, were rebuilt to be close enough to allow level boarding for our trains, they would be too close to the tracks to let other trains, which are different sizes, pass safely. To mitigate this we have station staff on hand, from first to last train, to deploy boarding ramps between the platform and train at boarding and destination stations. We are committed to making accessibility improvements across the full route. This includes installing new lifts (meaning some stations will have lifts for the first time) and footbridges at stations in both the east and west as well as clear signage and customer information.
Note that more general information about accessible travel on TfL services can be found on our website here:
If this is not the information you are looking for please do not hesitate to contact me.
Please see the attached information sheet for details of your right to appeal as well as information on copyright and what to do if you would like to re-use any of the information we have disclosed.
Yours sincerely,
David Wells FOI Case Officer FOI Case Management Team General Counsel Transport for London
