Rail accessibility and inclusion news – Page 2
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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.
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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.
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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 .
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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, ...
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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.
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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 ...
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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 ...
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Rail Business UKRail regulator seeks feedback on assessment of assistance to disabled passengers
UK: The Office of Rail & Road is asking for views on its plans for annual assessments rating how train operators and Network Rail provide assistance to disabled passengers. The regulator said this would strengthen its ability to hold operators to account for poor performance, highlight ...
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Rail Business UKViewpoint: ‘Persons with Reduced Mobility’ risks becoming an outdated term
Persons with Reduced Mobility was once considered a progressive descriptor, yet now it stands as a reminder of how industries must remain agile in their accessibility approach, says Emma Partlow, Director of Consumer Engagement & Policy at Transreport.
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Rail Business UK3D digital maps designed to help people navigate stations
UK: Govia Thameslink Railway is testing digital 3D maps designed to help passengers, and particularly those who are disabled, gain more confidence in navigating its stations. GTR had received feedback that the existing bird’s-eye view maps of its stations could be improved, as they were not ...
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Rail Business UKBlind passengers offered accessibility app access at all GTR stations
UK: Govia Thameslink Railway now offers free use of a smartphone app designed to enhance accessibility for blind and partially sighted passengers at all 236 of its managed stations. The Aira Explorer app allows users to place a video call with a trained adviser who looks ...
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Rail Business UKAudio guide to help blind passengers use Thameslink trains
UK: Thameslink has released an audio guide describing its 115 Siemens Mobility Class 700 trains which was written with the help of blind passenger Dave Smith who sits on the operator’s accessibility Advisory Panel. The guide is available on the Assisted Travel pages of the company’s ...
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Metro Report InternationalCairo operator trials sign language services
EGYPT: Operator RATP Dev is trialling sign language services on the Capital Train line which connects Cairo with the New Administrative Capital. Instructional videos with sign language translation will be available at ticket offices and on platforms at Adly Mansour station, enabling passengers with hearing impairments ...
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NewsWheelchair accessible ETR1000 on show in Berlin
INNOTRANS: Hitachi Rail presented the latest version of its ETR1000 trainset for Trenitalia at the InnoTrans 2024 fair in Berlin. The manufacturer is supplying 30 more trainsets to the Italian state-owned operator under a €861m contract which includes a €287m option for a further 10. ...
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Rail Business UKRegulator tells Northern to improve help for disabled passengers
UK: The Office of Rail & Road has told Northern to submit a plan to improve the way it provides assistance to disabled passengers. The operator rated poorly in the regulator’s latest survey of passengers who pre-booked additional assistance, with 18% saying the help requested was ...
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NewsApp trial to help blind and low vision passengers navigate Boston stations
USA: The NaviLens smart phone navigation app for visually impaired people is being tested on Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority’s Boston commuter rail network. Users scan brightly coloured QR-style codes posted in the stations, and the app will then help them find the correct platform, provide real-time ...
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NewsMock-up aims to ensure Queensland trains are accessible to all
AUSTRALIA: A mock-up built by Allweld Manufacturing is being used to gather feedback from future users including train drivers, people with reduced mobility and cyclists to ensure that a future fleet of electric multiple-units will be accessible for all. In 2023 Downer beat CAF and Alstom ...