Take-up of railcards for disabled passengers jumps 7.4%

The take-up of railcards for disabled passengers has jumped by 7.4% over the past 12 months, new figures show.

Almost 200,000 people now have a Disabled Persons Railcard, which enables the holder and their companion to save a third on rail fares in Britain.

It costs £20 for a one-year card and £54 for a three-year card.

Data published by rail regulator the Office of Rail and Road showed there are 196,076 Disabled Persons Railcards in circulation in July, compared with 182,516 at the same point last year.

Rail minister Paul Maynard said he was "delighted" at the increase.

"We are determined to make rail journeys better for all passengers and have made significant progress since 2010 in improving accessibility across the entire transport network," he added.

"Our Access for All programme has delivered improvements such as accessible toilets, tactile paving or induction loops to more than 1,200 stations across the country."

Jacqueline Starr, a managing director at the Rail Delivery Group, representing train companies, said: "It's great to see more and more passengers taking advantage of the benefits offered by our Disabled Persons Railcard.

"Rail services are now far more accessible than ever and we're making improvements so that train travel is easy and enjoyable for everyone.

"Record numbers of disabled people are travelling by train and the vast majority simply turn up and go. At the same time we want to ensure that those who most require assistance get the help they need."