OFFICIAL rail regulators “have no idea” how disabled passengers will be affected by the removal of guards from trains and the operation of driver-only services, the RMT union revealed yesterday.

The admission is contained in documents obtained by the union from transport watchdog the Office of Rail and Road (ORR).

Despite admitting it hasn’t a clue about the effect on disabled passengers, the ORR has given the go-ahead to driver-only operation to help boost the profits of rail privateers.

RMT is demanding an immediate freeze to the introduction of driver-only trains, and an inquiry into their effect on passengers — particularly those with disabilities.

In the documents obtained by RMT, the ORR admits to a “significant knowledge gap” about whether rail companies can meet equality and access obligations using driver-only trains.

ORR has also admitted that when disabled passengers at an unstaffed station find that their train is driver-only, they have to wait for a later train with a guard or travel to a different station which has staff to help them.

RMT general secretary Mick Cash said: “It is well established that, once the guarantee of a guard is withdrawn, then disabled passengers are disadvantaged because they can no longer be assured of being able to turn up and get on or off the train at unstaffed stations.

“This is a sickening way to treat disabled passengers and we are calling for a full inquiry into the ORR’s actions and a halt to the introduction of DOO [driver-only operation] services.”