Minister says there will be clearer information and quicker repairs after Paralympian went public about her ordeal

Provision of accessible toilets on trains will be improved, the government has announced, weeks after a Paralympian revealed she had wet herself on a long train journey because the facilities were out of order.

The Department for Transport said changes were under way as a result of Anne Wafula Strike going public in the Guardian about her experience on a CrossCountry train journey from Nuneaton to Harlow last December.

The rail minister Paul Maynard said: “We are committed to ensuring no passenger has to go through this again. I am dismayed at the terrible experience that Wafula Strike had while travelling from Nuneaton to Harlow. She is right to bring this matter to the department’s attention and I applaud her bravery for speaking openly about her experience.”

Wafula Strike said she felt robbed of her dignity after finding the train’s accessible toilet out of order. A crew member advised her to get off at the next stop, but she said she was unable to hold on until they reached a station with staff that could help her disembark.

CrossCountry apologised to the athlete, who has an MBE for services to disability sport and charity.

Maynard met rail bosses and told them improvements had to be made to make trains more accessible for disabled travellers.

Wafula Strike welcomed the announcement but said it was important that both the government and transport companies used “joined-up thinking” to ensure all aspects of travelling were accessible for disabled people.

“It was very difficult for me to go public about what happened to me and I’m pleased that less than a month after doing so the government is taking action to improve matters,” she said. “I’m also happy that since I spoke out so many more disabled people have gone public about their experiences too. It has broken a taboo.

“I have been reading about a disabled passenger on Southern trains who has been left stranded on a platform several times in the last few weeks because there was no member of staff available to help her get on and off the train. It’s no good getting the toilets working if disabled people aren’t able to get on a train to use them.”

Wafula Strike has been invited to meet Maynard on Thursday to go through the detail of the new plans, which include making available clearer information about the availability of accessible toilets in advance of journeys.

The Department for Transport (DfT) says it will work with train companies to see how staff training can be improved. Maintenance teams will ensure accessible toilets are more reliable and will fix them more quickly when problems arise, ensuring fewer toilets are out of service.

Maynard said: “I take the issue of accessibility on our railways extremely seriously and these commitments from industry are just one step forward to improve things. It is vital that all people, including disabled passengers, are able use public transport and I will continue to push train companies on this matter.”

Paul Plummer, chief executive of the Rail Delivery Group (RDG), which represents train operators and Network Rail, said: “The rail industry wants to modernise what is often Victorian infrastructure to make it more accessible and to provide far better information to enable people with disabilities to travel with confidence.

“When things go wrong, rail companies want to put them right, and we are keen to hear directly from people with disabilities to understand their experiences, which is why the industry is already engaging more with disability groups to understand how we can improve.”

It has been a requirement since 1999 that all new trains with toilets are built with accessible toilets as standard – all trains built before then must comply by 2020. More than 150 stations have been upgraded under the Access for All programme to remove barriers to independent travel, including by installing signs, ramps and lifts. A further 68 are under construction or in development.

The DfT will publish its accessibility action plan later this year, which will address accessibility across all modes of public transport. The aviation minister Lord Ahmad is to look into access to air travel for disabled passengers.