Platform for Change: Making rail journeys more accessible
Accessible train travel is essential for blind and partially sighted people to live independently, get to work, visit friends and family, and access healthcare. Yet, this report shows that too many journeys are still impacted or prevented by unnecessary barriers such as inconsistent passenger assistance, difficult ticket buying methods and the inaccessible design of trains and stations.
Key findings
What you told us
- More than one in three people with sight loss can’t make the train journeys they want or need to.
- Only 44 per cent told us that they are reliably met by assistance staff.
- 82 per cent said they struggle with the gap between the train and platform edge.
- Blind and partially sighted people’s most common barriers to rail travel include:
- Navigating within train stations.
- Locating / identifying staff at train stations.
- Everything to do with tickets – not just buying them, but then managing them: using them to operate ticket barriers, keeping track of them, and finding the correct ticket when staff ask.
- Staying safe on the platform.
- Boarding the train – finding the door, finding your seat.
- Orienting within the train – where’s the buffet car? Which side will the train doors open on?
- Locating and using train toilets, which can be so difficult that some blind and partially sighted people choose not to travel rather than having to deal with them.
- Coping with disruptions to the journey, like delays, cancellations, or the train having to stop somewhere other than the destination you need.
Lucy Edwards, broadcaster, disability activist and content creator, said:
“Our experiences as rail passengers are vital to our ability and willingness to get out and about: trains allow blind and partially sighted people to do everything from daily commutes to travelling across the country.”