Nightmare rail trip to Westmead Hospital for mum and disabled son Lorraine Elwell and her son Hunter at Ourimbah railway station. Lack of access ramps, lifts and seating makes public transport trip to Westmead hell for mother and her disabled son Frustrating journey leaves son, 9, in pain and crying Transport Minister apologises to family, promises to investigate matter A nightmare journey from the Central Coast to Westmead Hospital for a mum and her disabled son has highlighted a seriously flawed rail system. Lorraine Elwell of Ourimbah was forced onto public transport when the specially adapted vehicle she uses to transport severely disabled Hunter, 9, was in for repairs. "I have only caught the train with Hunter once, four years ago," Ms Elwell said. Although that wasn't the greatest experience of my life, it was far better than last week's fiasco. I cannot believe that in 2014 people with disabilities are still being treated with such disrespect by state governments departments. The drama began when Ms Elwell discovered neither Lisarow nor Ourimbah station has adequate access ramps for wheelchairs from the car parks. Gosford has ramps, but parking is almost impossible and wheelchair friendly bus services from Ourimbah to Gosford are non-existent. Ms Elwell decided to drive to Tuggerah and begin her trip from there. A string of frustrations ensued including lack of ramps to help Hunter from platform to train, lack of communication among railway staff and lack of wheelchair friendly seating areas on board. Lisarow Railway Station has inadequate wheelchair access from carpark to platform. "By the end of our day Hunter was tired, in pain and crying with frustration," Ms Elwell said. I have since been told some trains from Tuggerah have wheelchair seating areas - but no one there thought to tell me that on the day. A lot of the problem was lack of communication among staff- surely they could have called ahead to our stations of destination and asked them to have a ramp handy. Instead of that, my helper and I had to lift Hunter, in his wheelchair, from platform to train several times. Many stories have come back to me of people having similar experiences. The Transport Access Program is underway to deliver accessible, modern, secure and integrated transport infrastructure where it is needed most. Since the project was launched in April 2012, more than 120 projects have been completed or are underway. This includes station upgrades, better interchanges, ferry wharf upgrades and commuter car parks Tuggerah railway station had poor assistance for disabled. ■ Rickety ramp provided at Tuggerah station ■ No space for wheelchair on train - mother, companion and son forced to make journey in cramped space where doors are, blocking access for other passengers ■ No ramp available at Strathfield station for train change - Ms Elwell and companion lift wheelchair onto train ■ Section of train dedicated for disabled and elderly occupied by passengers who are neither and refuse to move ■ Similar problems encountered on return journey BOTH Transport Minister Gladys Berejiklian and her department have issued an apology to the Elwell family. One of the key initiatives underway in both Sydney Trains and NSW Trains is focused on improving customer service and it is experiences like this that remind me how important it is that we continue this work. It is so important that our staff provide the best possible assistance to customers with a disability," Ms Berejiklian said. Transport Minister Gladys Berejiklian has apologised to the Elwell family. I am very passionate about improving access to the public transport network and that why this Government established the $770 million Transport Access Program under which more than 120 projects have been completed or are underway so far to provide better access to public transport, especially for those with a disability. On the Central Coast Line we are investing significant funding to overhaul the silver V-set trains to ensure they are much more modern and more comfortable inside As a regular public transport customer I appreciate how important cleanliness and good customer service are. Sydney Trains and NSW Trains has apologised for the significant difficulties experienced on Ms Elwell's journey. A spokesman said both operators were looking further into the matter and would be following up the issues raised with relevant staff. "All customer-facing staff receive extensive customer service training and are expected to provide quality customer service to all customers including those in a wheelchair," the spokesman said Station staff at the boarding station are required to contact staff at the destination station and alert the guard that customers in wheelchairs are on board. Staff at stations must be available to meet trains with wheelchair bound customers on board but on occasion. Unfortunately on this occasion, the train was redirected and this caused confusion. He said NSW Trains and Sydney Trains were committed to delivering improvements to customers and their communities