Rail accessibility and inclusion news
News about accessibility and inclusion initiatives, projects, policy, training and technology in the railway and urban transport sectors.
-
Rail Business UK‘Eye-opener’ trip helps train operator listen to deaf passengers
UK: Govia Thameslink Railway received eye-opening feedback from deaf passengers who it took on a return trip from Cambridge to Stevenage to gain greater understanding of what needs to be done to make independent travel easier.
-
NewsPassenger information screen changes improve readability and save energy
NETHERLANDS: Station passenger information screens have been switched from a light to a dark background, after studies found this would make then more readable for more people, as well as being more energy-efficient.
-
Rail Business UKEligibility for Disabled Persons Railcard to be expanded
UK: The eligibility criteria for the Disabled Persons Railcard are to be expanded so that both visible and non-visible disabilities are better recognised.
-
Rail Business UKGreat Western Railway gains autism inclusivity award
UK: Great Western Railway has gained the National Autistic Society’s Autism Friendly Award for businesses which become more inclusive by providing accessible customer services, information and environments.
-
Rail Business UKTrain operators investigate centralised British Sign Language information system
UK: The Rail Delivery Group is planning to develop a centralised British Sign Language real-time information system to make the national railway network more inclusive for deaf passengers.
-
Rail Business UKRail regulator tightens rules on redress when disabled passenger assistance fails
UK: An update to the Office of Rail & Road’s Accessible Travel Policy guidance has made it mandatory for all train and station operators to make a case-by-case assessment of claims for redress from disabled passengers when their booked assistance fails.
-
Rail Business UKc2c to provide GoodMaps digital wayfinding at all its stations
UK: Commuter train operator c2c Railway is to make GoodMaps’ digital wayfinding technology available to improve accessibility at all 26 stations on its London to Shoeburyness route.
-
NewsTourist train developed with the needs of older passengers in mind
CHINA: The YINLV tourist train has been developed by CRRC Changchun and China Railway Harbin Group to offer ‘middle-aged and elderly’ passengers a ‘comfortable, high-quality’ journey.
-
NewsLow floors meet high speeds as DB unveils ICE L fleet
GERMANY: DB and manufacturer Talgo has unveiled an ICE L inter-city trainset at Berlin Ostbahnhof, saying the fleet would set standards for accessibility and family friendliness.
-
Rail Business UKNational Rail station webpages revamped to better meet accessibility information needs
UK: The Rail Delivery Group and Valtech have updated the National Rail website’s station pages to make them clearer and provide the accessibility information that disabled passengers say they need.
-
Rail Business UKGreater Anglia adds ability to book passenger assistance when buying a ticket
UK: Greater Anglia says it is the first train operating company to introduce a streamlined booking process enabling disabled and older passengers to pre-book assistance at the same time as buying tickets on the Greater Anglia website.
-
Rail Business UKTrain operator rating system aims to improve assistance for disabled passengers
UK: The Office of Rail & Road is to begin benchmarking and rating each train operator on its delivery of passenger assistance services, with the aim of enabling better targeted interventions.
-
Rail Business UKAccelerating accessibility at Greater Manchester stations
UK: ‘We’ve got to move more quickly’, Greater Manchester Mayor Andy Burnham tells Rail Business UK .
-
Rail Business UKRegulator proposes changes to redress policies for when disabled passenger assistance fails
UK: The Office of Rail & Road is consulting on revising its Accessible Travel Policy guidance so that claims for redress when booked assistance fails disabled passengers are always considered on the circumstances in each case.
-
NewsAssistance tool aims to make Japanese railways more accessible
JAPAN: Transreport has launched an online tool to make it easier for anyone with assistance requirements to request support at Hankyu Railway’s 87 stations. The commuter operator runs trains serving the Kyoto, Osaka and Kobe areas.
-
Rail Business UKMPs call for concrete timescales for independent accessibility across the rail network
UK: The House of Commons Transport Select Committee has published the Access Denied: Rights Versus Reality in Disabled People’s Access to Transport report calling an overhaul of laws, strategy and attitudes to make it easier for disabled people to use public transport.
-
Rail Business UKLevel boarding included in rail innovation funding competition
UK: Innovate UK has opened the latest calls for grant funding proposals under the First of a Kind programme, which supports the demonstration of innovative technologies to give them a better chance at being deployed by railway companies. Organisations have until May 28 to submit proposals, ...
-
NewsBritish influence in JR East’s next Shinkansen rolling stock design
JAPAN: East Japan Railway has issued the first images of its E10 Shinkansen high speed trainset.
-
Rail Business UKImproving disability awareness training for rail staff
UK: The effectiveness of the disability training received by rail staff and new models of raising awareness are to be studied by the Royal National Institute of Blind People and the Community Rail Network, backed by funding from the Motability Foundation. The two-year ‘On track for ...
-
Rail Business UKDatabases launched to make better use of transport accessibility research
UK: The National Centre for Accessible Transport has launched a database to consolidate accessible transport research, strategy and policy-related documents, along with a transport barriers database highlighting the challenges that disabled people face. NCAT said the initiatives ‘mark a significant step forward in providing robust evidence ...