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A train company has apologised after a disabled passenger filmed one of the guards refusing to help him board a carriage.

Father-of-one Qamar Khaliq said the train guard repeatedly refused to respond to his pleas for help at Manchester Piccadilly on Saturday.

The 35-year-old said he was left with no choice but to film the guard's reaction.

Northern Rail has apologised and is investigating the incident.

Mr Khaliq said what should have been a 10-minute journey back home to Guide Bridge in Audenshaw ended up taking him nearly two hours.

"I always arrive at least 10 minutes early to ensure I can get helped on the train without a problem. There were no platform staff around and I could not see a train guard. A passenger on the train got up to help me and knocked on the guard's window to say there was a man in a wheelchair who needed help. When I asked for his assistance he made a no sign at me and said 'I can't take you, you will have to get the next one'. When I asked him why he refused to answer me and then refused to speak at all and just ignored me."

Mr Khaliq started to film the guard's reaction. "Another train guard even yelled at me as I left saying the police would be coming and they would take my mobile phone off me for filming it," he added.

In the end, he said he left the station and instead boarded a bus, finally returning home at 2245 BST after initially trying to board the train for a 10-minute journey at 2036 BST that evening.

Pete Myers, head of service quality for Northern Rail, said: "We would help anyone who needs assistance. That's why we put ramps on our trains and why we have assistants too. I would like to apologise to Mr Khaliq. Whatever has gone on he could not make his journey without hindrance and that's not right."

quite why the fact he's a father-of-one is worthy of opening the second paragraph is beyond me - did that have any bearing on the incident?

Guard suspended over disabled ramp row in Manchester

A train conductor has been suspended after a disabled passenger filmed him refusing to help him board a carriage.

Qamar Khaliq captured the guard's refusal on his mobile phone as he pleaded with him to provide a ramp so he could board a train at Manchester Piccadilly on Saturday.

Northern Rail has since emailed the 35-year-old to apologise for "the problems" he faced during his journey.

A company spokesman said a full investigation is under way.

Mr Khaliq, however, has said the suspension of the train conductor has not made a difference to how vulnerable he now feels. "I know there were a couple of other people involved in what happened to me and I am still going to avoid travelling by train," he said. "I don't feel as safe anymore by any means. Also I still don't know why he would not let me on, that has not yet been explained. The company are investigating so hopefully it will be revealed then."

Mr Khaliq said the 10-minute journey back home to Guide Bridge in Audenshaw ended up taking him nearly two hours because he had to travel home by bus. "When I asked for his assistance he made a no sign at me and said 'I can't take you, you will have to get the next one'. When I asked him why he refused to answer me and then refused to speak at all and just ignored me."

Pete Myers, head of service quality for Northern Rail, said in the email to Mr Khaliq: "I know that nothing I can say will reassure you at this stage, but we do take incidents like this very seriously indeed, and thankfully they are extremely rare. Incidentally I can confirm that we have taken steps to suspend the conductor from duty while our investigation progresses. I do hope that you can travel with us in confidence in the future and that once our investigations are complete we can meet together."

I don't agree.  If he hadn't filmed the guard, would anything have been done about it?  I can't see Northern suspending a member of staff without some evidence which would not be there if there had not been filming. 

I rarely get angry on behalf of others, but this is appalling treatment of a disabled passenger by Northern staff. The guard deserves nothing less than prosecution under DDA legislation and would do very well to keep his job. If the RMT come to his defence in any way then that would just confirm to me what a crackpot union they are.

I also applaud Northern for publically stating that they have suspended the staff member concerned. No stronger message could be sent to all staff that this kind of behaviour toward the disabled is not acceptable.

I don't think any kind of message needs to be sent to us staff that this is not acceptable.  Please do not put us in the same boat as this Guard at all.

Ramps at Network Rail stations (like Manchester Piccadilly) are the responsibility of Network Rail staff and not the TOC.

Apparently the guard is back at work now after the passengers story fell apart, he was told that he needed to get the next service 12 mins later that was operated by a 323 and thus could use the ramp at guide bridge, lets hope Northern get crucified for their premature "apology" making the guard look like the bad guy in the national media!

According to the complainant (read Railforums or Digital Spy) he has received a full apology from NR who state there is no reason why the guard refused and that the train and station are fully accessible.  NR apparently asked the complainant whether the guard should be sacked but he said no.  The complainant says that is the end of the matter in one breath and the next that he is awaiting a further (big) outcome that will satisfy him.

I've spoken to someone who knows the guard concerned, the passenger is banned from busses and black cabs in the area for similar abuse, it's what happened BEFORE the video started, yes the guard may have reacted a little unprofessionally but we are all human, the guard has had an appology from Northern and there were previous issues with the particular passenger where he nearly came off the ramp at Guide bridge which isn't a fully accesible station!!!