Engineers urge nationwide accessibility overhaul to unlock £88bn economic boost

Transforming Britain's transport network into a fully accessible system could help bring up to 2.8 million more disabled people into employment while generating tens of billions of pounds for the economy, according to a new report from the Institution of Mechanical Engineers (IMechE).

The engineering body argues that improving accessibility should be viewed not simply as a social responsibility but as a major economic opportunity, with better transport enabling more people to work, travel and participate fully in society.

Its analysis estimates that removing transport-related barriers to employment could contribute around £88.2 billion annually to the UK economy, while matching the employment rate of disabled people with that of non-disabled people could ultimately generate around £176.4 billion in annual Gross Value Added (GVA).

Transport remains a barrier to employment

According to the report, transport accessibility continues to prevent many disabled people from accessing employment opportunities.

IMechE estimates that almost half of disabled professionals have turned down jobs because of difficulties travelling to work, highlighting how inaccessible infrastructure continues to limit workforce participation.

The institution believes addressing these barriers could unlock significant economic growth while helping employers tackle skills shortages across multiple sectors.

Wider economic benefits

The report also highlights broader economic gains beyond employment.

It suggests that increasing journeys made by disabled people and related groups by just 10 per cent could generate up to £22.3 billion in additional spending across retail, hospitality, leisure and tourism.

Meanwhile, enabling more people to use mainstream public transport rather than specialist transport services could reduce public expenditure by between £1 billion and £2 billion each year.

The report also suggests greater use of public transport would contribute towards national carbon reduction objectives by encouraging modal shift away from private vehicles.

Four key recommendations

To deliver a more inclusive transport system, IMechE is calling for a coordinated package of reforms across government, engineering and industry.

Its recommendations include:

• Introducing a 130 per cent enhanced capital allowance to encourage organisations to invest in accessibility features beyond minimum legal requirements, including tactile paving, sensory-friendly environments and universal boarding solutions.

• Creating a national open-access accessibility data platform, providing real-time information on lifts, platform gaps, step-free routes and equipment faults across the transport network.

• Embedding inclusive design within engineering education, professional registration and continuing professional development to ensure accessibility is considered from the earliest stages of project design.

• Making meaningful collaboration with disabled people a standard requirement throughout the planning, design and delivery of transport projects.

Investment required over the long term

The report estimates that making Britain's rail network fully accessible would require investment of between £20 billion and £24 billion.

This includes providing step-free access and level boarding across approximately 6,000 station platforms.

IMechE acknowledges the scale of the investment but argues that improvements would be delivered progressively over several decades, allowing benefits to accumulate as individual stations and routes are upgraded.

The institution also believes accessibility upgrades can be delivered more efficiently by aligning them with planned maintenance and infrastructure renewal programmes, reducing the cost of retrospective modifications.

Accessibility should be designed in—not added later

Beyond physical infrastructure, the report identifies fragmented accessibility information, inconsistent standards and limited specialist expertise as significant barriers to progress.

It argues that designing accessibility into projects from the outset is considerably more effective and less costly than retrofitting infrastructure after construction has been completed.

The report follows earlier research published by IMechE this year, which concluded that Britain's transport network continues to underserve many groups, including disabled people, older passengers, neurodivergent travellers, parents with young children and those living in rural communities.

Call for coordinated national action

IMechE is urging HM Treasury, the Department for Transport, the Engineering Council and professional institutions to work together to establish common technical standards, qualifications and data requirements that support a more accessible transport system.

The organisation also wants operators and infrastructure owners to be required, through licence conditions and funding agreements, to provide standardised accessibility information to a national data platform.

With the Government reviewing transport accessibility policy alongside wider reforms to Britain's railways, the report argues that inclusive transport should be recognised as both a social necessity and an economic investment.

By embedding accessibility into future infrastructure programmes rather than treating it as an afterthought, IMechE believes the UK has an opportunity to improve mobility, increase employment, stimulate economic growth and create a transport network that is genuinely designed for everyone.