Disabled people are barred from using parts of the rail network because of poor facilities, Ministers have been warned.

Trains which are unsuitable for wheelchairs, a lack of Braille timetables and antiquated platform designs are excluding people with disabilities, said MP Martin Linton (Lab Battersea).

He urged the Government to ensure railways were "accessible for all".

Speaking in the House of Commons, he praised a Government scheme to install lifts at more than 100 stations.

But the design of many platforms made it hard for disabled passengers to get on to trains, said Mr Linton.

For example, in some London stations there is a large gap between the platform and the carriage, or one is higher than the other.

The MP said: "It is extraordinary . . . that we still have this problem, which is a huge obstacle for many disabled people."

He added: "There are various problems with the trains themselves, particularly for the partially sighted.

"There may be priority seating, but locating it can be a problem for them.

"Also, the aisles are often too narrow to give access for wheelchairs."

And even buying a ticket could be a struggle, because blind people could not use computerised touch-screen systems, he warned.

"If there is no audible facility on a touch-screen they cannot be used by visually impaired people - such screens could easily be adapted in that way.

"The text size is often not sufficiently large for partially sighted people to read, so the screens need to be adapted to increase the text size in places where that has not already been done."

Transport Minister Chris Mole said the Government planned to strengthen rail regulations to ensure access for people with disabilities was improved.

He also highlighted work to make the London Underground more accessible.

"Much of the underground system is difficult for disabled people to access because of the era in which it was constructed.

"The constraints caused by the original design of stations can make the installation of facilities such as lifts very difficult.

"London Underground is committed to a core network of step-free stations and although there are currently some 43 step-free stations, with plans for 25 per cent of the network to be step-free by 2010.

"I am sure that he will be pleased to hear that further provision is expected with the introduction of new facilities to support the Olympic and Paralympic games in 2012."

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