Northern has appointed an accessibility campaigner to chair its independent user group which focuses on empowering people to use public transport – no matter their circumstances.
New chair Mark Cutter, from Lancaster, has been a member of Northern’s Accessibility User Group (NAUG) since its inception.
NAUG is a pan disability user group whose membership represents a very wide range of disabilities on a personal basis and from the perspective of disability groups and organisations reflecting the communities served by Northern.
Matt Wilson, accessibility manager at Northern, said: “Mark’s expertise in accessibility as well as his well-established relationships with the NAUG members and our own accessibility team will ensure his time as chair is productive and progressive, and we are looking forward to Mark moving into his new role at the end of the month.
“Since launching three years ago NAUG has played a vital role in supporting Northern’s accessibility strategy and has offered a lived-experience-of-disability perspective to many of our projects.”
Mark has worked as an accessibility advisor for Avanti West Coast and TransPennine Trains. He was also recently appointed as chair of the rail accessibility for the north multi-operator and Network Rail joint panel.
He said: “I am really excited to be joining Northern in this role. Embedding lived experience expertise in the rail industry will improve the travel experience for all passengers.
“I have lived experience of physical disability, mental ill-health and neurodiversity and we will take a pan-disability approach to accessibility and inclusion.
“However, I believe accessible travel is about much more than disability. As a critical friend, I will work collaboratively to challenge Northern, and the wider industry, to think differently about the way we travel.”
For more information about accessibility at Northern visit: northernrailway.co.uk/accessibility-hub
Northern is the second largest train operator in the UK, with 2,500 services a day to more than 500 stations across the North of England.
